


Welcom home, soldiers!

by Kat_the_Hetalia_fan



Category: Happy Tree Friends
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 16:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4107694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_the_Hetalia_fan/pseuds/Kat_the_Hetalia_fan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The second of my stories from DeviantART. There's a couple more, but this is the second last of my Happy Tree Friends Fanfics that I've actually fully written. I have a couple others that weren't finished, so I won't be posting those.</p><p>Years after being discharged from service, Flippy gets a call from his old sergeant telling him he has a special mission that only he can do, and that it relates not only to the Tiger army, but to the barrier around Happy Tree Town that brings everyone back to life. Flippy reluctantly accepts, not really having a choice in the matter, and is sent off to a village hidden in the jungle where people also come back to life. However, things take an unexpected turn when he runs into two ghosts from his past...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Flippy woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. He had just had another nightmare about his days in the war. He took a couple of deep breaths and looked at his alarm clock. He never set the alarm because it usually made him 'flip-out'. He didn't have anywhere he needed to be so it didn't matter anyway.  
It was pretty early in the morning but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now so he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He took a shower, dried off, and then got dressed. Like usual he wore his green army jacket, beret, and dog-tags. He looked at the tags and sighed. They were one of the few things he had saved when he was discharged that he some times regretted keeping.  
He walked down to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. He sat at the table and started looking though a few old article clippings he had of him, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-boom. He missed his friends and team mates a lot, even if it had been a long time since they had died. The three of them had been one of the best teams in the W.A.R, and if Operation Tiger Bomb hadn't gone south the three of them would probably still be fighting.  
He took several bites of his sandwich when the phone rang. Who would be calling me seven in the morning? he thought. Flippy stood up and answered the phone.

Flippy: Hello?

The voice on the other end was that of his old sergeant. Flippy was so surprised he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't still asleep. He wasn't sure what surprised him more, that he was getting a call from his sergeant or that he knew his home number.

Sergeant: Flippy, it's me. I know it's been a while since you've heard from me, but I have an assignment for you.

If Flippy wasn't awake before, he was now.

Flippy: What?! B-but sir, I was discharged! Why would you be giving me an assignment? In fact, how'd you get my home number?

Sergeant: I'm giving you this assignment because you're one of the few people who I can trust to take this assignment. I can't tell you the details over the phone, but I plan on arriving in Happy Tree Town tomorrow to discuss this in person with you. As for how I got your number, you'd be surprised what someone can find out with the right connections.

Flippy: B-but sir, I-

The sergeant had hung up on him before he could continue. Flippy sighed and hanged up. He hadn't been on a mission since operation Tiger Bomb, and that ended with two of his closest friends dying right before his eyes!  
He calmed down and thought through what he'd need to do. First, he'd have to pack some of his belongings. Some clothes, a picture or two, and his relaxation tips book. They didn't always work but sometimes did.  
Second, he'd need to get one of the others to look after his house while he was gone. He decided that he'd call either Petunia or Pop later to see if they could. If they couldn't, he'd probably call Flaky.  
Finally, he had to make sure that Shifty wouldn't try to break into his house while he was gone. Ever since Lifty and Nutty started dating Shifty has been stealing things twice as often, and he even stole from Flippy some times, even though he knew that it was a bad idea. Flippy had set up traps all over his house for when Shifty ever tried to steal from him, but no matter how humane the trap was there was always blood.

Flippy: I hope this doesn't end badly. If I die outside of Happy Tree Town I'm done for…

Flippy tried to relax for about two hours until he had decided to take a walk though park to calm his nerves. He saw toothy and Cuddles running for their lives while being chased by Giggles who was covered in glue and feathers. He chuckled quietly at the familiar scene and continued walking until he saw a couple of the others huddled around something. Curious, he went to see what was going on. Everyone was looking at a newspaper that Pop was holding.

Flippy: Hey guys, what are you looking at?

Russell: Accordin' to the paper thar be other places like Happy Tree Town!

Flippy: What?! Is that even possible?

Petunia: That's what I said!

Nutty: Wow, I didn't think that there was any other place like Happy Tree Town on the planet because my parents and I have gone traveling a lot and we've never ever seen another place where people come back to life!

Flippy: Where are these places anyway?

Pop: Just a couple of small places not that far from Happy Tree Town. The farthest known one is Happy Shrub Town, which is just twenty miles south of Tree country.

Sniffles: I've been researching the barrier ever since I could hold a magnifying glass and I still don't have the slightest idea how it works. Now it looks like it's starting to spread all over Tree Country and into some of the neighbouring countries too. This is an amazing scientific discovery if it's true!

Petunia: The key word being 'if'. If it turns out to be another scam like that time with Joy Tree Town I'm gonna be really mad!

Pop: From the looks of it they've checked, and this is the real deal. Whatever keeps people from dying in Happy Tree Town-

Flippy: More accurately what keeps them from staying dead.

Pop: Right, my mistake. Whatever keeps bringing us back to life is spreading to other places. I wonder what's happening?

Russell: One thing's fer sure, we won't be gettin' as many tourists come summer.

Flippy: 'Wow, first that call and now this! I wonder if there's some kind of connection between the two…'

For the rest of day, all of the Happy Tree Friends could talk of nothing but what the paper had said. Well, everyone but Flippy. He finished packing, disabled all of the traps, and got Flaky to agree to look after the house while he was gone. He spent most of the day trying to calm his nerves down and trying to figure out what this 'assignment' he was going to get was.  
He was also trying to figure out what the surprise he was going to get was. Flaky had told him to come to the diner early tomorrow for a surprise.

-the next day-

Like Flaky had told him to, Flippy got up early. He checked to make sure everything he needed was packed and that he had the picture of him, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-boom in the extra pocket on the inside of the bag. Just in case the sergeant came earlier then expected he taped a note to his front door saying that he'd be at the diner, as well as directions to said diner.  
He slung his bag over his shoulder and headed to where the diner was. On the way he noticed that their was no one around. It was eight in the morning but usually there was at least one or two people around. On his way he stopped by Handy's house to get his flashlight back. He waited for a few minutes but no one answered.

Flippy: Odd, usually he's awake by now. Strange, I wonder where everyone could be?

Flippy continued to the diner, worrying about his friends. Where could they all be? He knew that some of them were probably still sleeping but… He got to the diner several minutes later. The lights were off but the door was open so he went inside.

Flippy: Hello? Flaky, anyone? *little nervous*

Suddenly the lights turned on and all of the Happy Tree Friends came out of their hiding places in the diner.

Everyone but Flippy: Good luck, Flippy!

A banner opened saying 'bon voyage, Flippy!'. Shifty and Lifty let loose with some confetti shooters, Mime let go of a bunch of balloons, and Disco Bear threw a coin into the jukebox and music started playing. Flippy was about to 'flip-out' when Flaky squeezed his hand. He calmed down just in time, making everyone let out a sigh of relief. He then looked at Flaky who was smiling shyly.

Flippy: What's going on? Why is everyone here?

Flaky: W-Well, you said th-that you w-were g-going o-on some kind of s-secret mission, s-s-so I got Giggles t-to help me p-plan a g-going away party.

Flippy: Really? You guys did this all for me?

Lumpy: Last I checked that was your name on the banner we made, so yeah. Uh, it is your name on the banner, right? *looks at banner*

Sniffles: It is, now can we get on with this Bon voyage party already?

Flippy: Wow, this is… I didn't think you guys cared so much. *smiles*

Petunia: Of course we care! You might kill us all the time but your still our friend.

Nutty: Besides, we don't get a chance to throw big parties like this very often because usually most of us are dead and those that are still alive are too sad because everyone else is dead. I brought the snacks! I hope you like chocolate and taffy and soda and-

Pop: We get it Nutty, you brought sweets for everyone! Now stop before we all get toothaches!

Everyone laughed at this and started to celebrate. They had even gotten him gifts. Flaky gave him a photo album with pictures of everyone in it as well as a couple of blank pages, Toothy had gotten him a book of knock-knock jokes, Petunia gave him a travel sized bottle of cleaning detergent, Shifty and Lifty gave him back the stuff they had taken from him over the years, and Lumpy had gotten him a sandwich. Probably not the best gift he had ever gotten but he was still touched.  
Flippy placed everything on one of the booth tables, except for the book of knock-knock jokes and the photo album which he put in his bag. He thanked everyone and smiled happily as they continued to celebrate.  
A little while later someone walked into the diner. Flippy and the others looked to see a fox in the door way wearing an army uniform. He had a scar over his right eye. Flippy recognized him immediately as his old sergeant.

Nutty: Who's the guy in the uniform with the scar over his eye? He looks kinda scary and really serious like he has a stick up his-

Flippy: Everyone, this is the sergeant! Sergeant, these are my friends.

Sergeant: Looks like I came at a bit of a bad time. Flippy, I thought you would've known better then to tell civilians that you were going on a mission.

Flippy: Well, I told Flaky that I was going on a mission when I asked her to look after my house, and she called the others and set all of this up.

Flaky: I-It's t-true…

Sergeant: Well, it's nice to see that you have so many friends, even despite of what happened as well as your, um, condition.

Russell: Condition?

Pop: He must be talking about how Flippy 'flips-out' now and again.

Mime: *nods in agreement*

Sergeant: *looks at Flippy* They know about that?

Everyone but Flippy and the Sergeant: Trust us, we know.

Flippy: I've had a few flip outs, nothing big.

Shifty: Nothing big? What about that time you killed Giggles with a bottle of ketchup and mustard? I couldn't eat either for a week after I heard about that one!

Giggles: I couldn't eat hamburgers for month after I heard that he melted Petunia's face off by holding it to a grill!

Handy: And who can forget the time you peeled Nutty like an apple while he was on a sugar high? I'll admit, I laughed a little bit.

Toothy: My neck still hurts from the time you broke it! I thought that only worked in movies.

Sniffles: I remember the time you ran over everyone while driving a truck carrying toxic material and we all came back as zombies.

The gang continued to list any and all Flippy related deaths. By the time they were done everyone had started laughing at some of the funnier ones, except for the sergeant who had turned a little green.

Petunia: You still haven't told me how you dug the pit so quickly, or where you got the spikes Flippy. That was probably one of the worst deaths ever!

Cuddles: Oh yeah? What about the time he killed Flaky and then started to beat me with her corpse? I still find the occasional bloody flake in my hair!

The sergeant ran out of the diner and had just gotten behind the truck before puking. When he was done he walked back into the diner, wiped his mouth on a napkin, and threw it in the garbage.

Lumpy: Are you alright mister Flippy's sergeant sir?

Sergeant: I-I'm alright, but how the heck are you people able to talk about that kind of thing like it's a joke?

The Mole: Well, when you die every day death doesn't really bug you any more. In fact, and I think I speak for everyone here, we get a little frightened if no one dies!

Disco Bear: Well, not so much that we'd kill ourselves on purpose of course. Besides, why would I want to deprive the world of this? *points to self*

Giggles and Petunia: *rolls eyes and sighs*

Sergeant: Wait, you weren't just making those up just now?

Pop: Of course not! We might die almost every day but we're not insane!

Petunia: We get that death is serious, we really do, but it's not as big a deal here. Sure it's painful to die but we always come back within two days so it's easier for all of us to deal with it.

Sergeant: Interesting. How do you do it? Is there some kind of machine or something?

Sniffles: Or something. Honestly, not even I'm sure how it works, and my dad was the one who figured out how wide the barrier is!

Shifty: We call it the barrier because if you die outside of that range you won't come back to life.

Sergeant: Again, interesting. Well, as much as I'd like to see if your claim is true or not, I'm afraid me and Flippy have to be going now.

Flippy said his goodbyes one last time and grabbed his bag. He and the Sergeant got in the truck and it started to drive off. The green bear waved back at the others who had ran out of the diner and waved goodbye to him.  
Flippy sat back down, a wide smile on his face. He was going to miss everyone, especially Flaky. The photo album she had gotten him was a really nice gift, at least with that he wouldn't forget about them, even if he never returned to Happy Tree Town. He had already eaten the sandwich Lumpy had given him, even though he didn't like pickles and peanut butter.  
The Sergeant wrote something down and then turned to face the window. Once they were out of Happy Tree Town he turned to face Flippy.

Sergeant: Your probably curious as to what your mission is.

Flippy nodded at the sergeant, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. The Sergeant smiled for a second and then cleared his throat.

Sergeant: I'm sure that by now you've heard of how other places are getting the same 'barrier' that Happy Tree Town has. What few know is that these barriers were artificially created by the government.

Flippy: What?! But how? Why?

Sergeant: I can't tell you the how, but I can tell you the why. About a month ago we got word from our spies that the Tiger army is secretly planning on bombing Tree Country.

Flippy: *gasps* B-But if they do that thousands of people will die!

Sergeant: All but those in Happy Tree Town. It's the only place where people come back to life as long as they don't die of old age or normal illnesses. The imitation barriers we've tried making other towns in Tree Country as well as towns within a fifty mile radius of Tree country haven't been very successful as of yet.

Flippy: So that's why Happy Shrub Town is also reporting people coming back to life. But, what do you mean they haven't been very successful?

Sergeant: We've had a few successes, but the barriers we've made stop working after a month. We tried starting on smaller cities, but the only true success we've had is with a few small cities within a seven mile radius of Happy Tree Town. Any place with a population over a thousand or more then seven miles away from Happy Tree town won't support the barrier for more then the before mentioned amount of time.

Flippy: Forgive me for asking, but how is this related to my mission?

Sergeant: I'm sure you remember operation Tiger bomb.

Flippy: I wish I could forget… *shivers*

Sergeant: Don't we all? The only reason I even brought it up is because we're sending you back to that jungle. We've discovered a small village that share similar qualities with the barrier around Happy Tree Town. However, there are two differences that I should mention.

Flippy: What are they?

Sergeant: The first one is that although the barrier is much smaller then the one around Happy Tree Town, it works quicker and they people who die don't need to be in that barrier at the time of death. As long as they're in the barrier before twenty-four hours has passed, they'll come back to life.

Flippy: Wow, that's amazing. I didn't think that was possible! But, what's the other thing?

Sergeant: That's where the downside comes in. Although it brings people back to life quicker then those in Happy Tree Town, it leaves scars. Our scientists theorize that the reason people don't come back right away is that the barrier is somehow healing them.

Flippy: That makes sense now that I think about it. That still doesn't explain why your sending me there, I'm sure there are other soldiers, who weren't discharged, who could do a better job then me.

Sergeant: Trust me, the last thing I wanted to do was call you back into active duty, but few of the other soldiers know much about the jungle or of the barrier's existence. The ones that do are either dead, fighting somewhere else, or refused to do it all together.

Flippy: So that leaves me, and I'm guessing I can't refuse to do this?

Sergeant: Correct, especially seeing as we'll be at the Tree Country base in half an hour. I'll give you a few more details once we're there, so in the mean time try to relax.

Flippy sighed and started looking though the photo album that Flaky had given him. He took the photo he had of him, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-boom and placed it in one of the empty slots.

Flippy: 'I wonder what the two of you would say about all of this if you were still alive?'

He started thinking about all the good times they had had together and smiled. He continued to think about all the good times they had shared all the way to the base.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Flippy had just gotten off of the bus that had arrived at his new base. It was his first day post-training, and he was excited to help out. He looked around. He had been assigned to the jungle region, which was taking any soldiers it could get.  
Most of the other soldiers looked the same. Same hair cuts, same broad shoulders, same gleam in their eyes, even the way they talked sounded the same to Flippy.  
He continued to walk around the base, which was really just several dozen tents in a clearing, until something small hit him in the face. He fell down, landing on his bag. Rubbing his nose, he looked down and saw that it had been an orange-and-blue striped ball no bigger then his fist. He picked it up and rolled it around in his hands.  
Flippy stood up. He looked up from the ball to see a mouse standing in front of him looking apologetic. He had brownish-orange hair and friendly brown eyes. Flippy figured that he must've gotten off of the bus before him.

Mouse: Excusez-moi, I did not mean to hit you in ze face like that. I am Mouse Ka-Boom, et who are you?

Flippy: My name is Flippy, I just joined the army. Er, here's your ball back. *hands the ball over to Mouse Ka-Boom*

Mouse Ka-Boom: Merci. I myself have only joined ze army too, so we've got something in common, non?

Flippy: Looks like it! *smiles*

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flippy came back from his memories when he heard the truck door open. He shook his head to clear it, grabbed his bag, and followed the sergeant. They were at a landing strip in front of a military base. He didn't think that a base like this would be so close to Happy Tree Town, although it did explain how they had been able to study the barrier. The sergeant walked next to the landing strip as a plane landed at the far end. He looked at the plane then at Flippy.

Sergeant: Well, seeing as you'll be off to the jungle soon I should tell you the details. We're sending you to that village to study more about the barrier up close, but the locals believe that your there to protect them from the Tiger soldiers that have been raiding their homes. In total, there are only forty-two civilians. The leader is a man named Morris, an old army veteran. I don't know much about him, but I suggest that you don't get on his bad side. Got all of that?

Flippy: Forty-two people, study the barrier but don't let them know I'm studying the barrier, and don't get Morris mad. That's everything right?

Sergeant: Don't forget that you'll also have to fight off any Tiger soldiers that come by looking for trouble, otherwise people might start to get suspicious. Good luck Flippy, and be careful.

Flippy nodded nervously. He didn't like the idea of having to lie. Flippy also didn't like the idea of possibly having to fight off some of the Tiger soldiers, but he kept quiet. The Sergeant started to walk away but stopped and turned around.

Sergeant: Oh, there's one more thing I should mention. Two of the civilians have amnesia, so if by some off chance you recognize them don't say anything. It could compromise the entire mission.

Flippy: Alright…

Flippy wondered why the Sergeant would mention this, but before he could ask the plane's engines turned back on, signalling that it was time to go. He got on the plane, placing his bag next to him. It was a small plane used to transport soldiers around different areas, not that fast but better then driving in one of the trucks.  
About six hours into the flight Flippy fell asleep with the book of knock-knock jokes on his lap. When he woke up they were almost at the jungle.

Flippy: Huh? How long was I sleeping? I must've been out for a long time to have reached the jungle so quickly…

Pilot: You fell asleep a while ago, but I can't say for sure how long you've been asleep.

Flippy: Oh, okay. Heh, never thought I'd be back here…

Flippy shivered as the memories of his war days flowed back into his mind. Most of them had the sounds of screaming and gun fire in them, as well as blood and guts. The guts and blood didn't bug him as much, all things considered, but the memories that went with them did.  
When the plane landed Flippy took a big breath and jumped out carefully. As soon as the plane was gone a group of kids ran over to him and started asking him questions about the military and why he was dressed the way he was.

Guy: Alright, that's enough you six! The guy just got here, so let's give him a little break, alright?

Kids: Okay… *runs off*

Guy: Sorry about that, the last time we got any visitors was when Mouse and Chameleon first showed up. I'm Morris, by the way. You must be Flippy. I've heard a few things about you.

Flippy: You have?

Morris: Yeah, you're the soldier who 'flips-out' right? I heard that you were discharged after, what was it called, Operation Tiger Boom, right?

Flippy: Tiger Bomb, and yes, I was. How do you know so much about me anyway? *confused*

Morris: I might be retired, but I still have ways of finding things out, even in the jungle! *laughs*

The red wolf showed Flippy around the village and introduced him to almost everyone. Flippy noticed that there were several bodies piled in the center of town. They had blankets over them so that you could see their faces but he could tell that some of them had been badly damaged.

Morris: That's where we placed those who have died, at least until they come back to life. I was told that you were coming from Happy Tree Town, so I don't think I need to explain how the barrier works, right?

Flippy nodded and continued to follow him. Morris lead him to the edge of the village and told him that he could set up a tent here.

Morris: I'd offer you a room in the village, but as it is people have to share houses with four or five other people. We've been working on building some houses, but it's slow going.

Flippy: When I get back to the base I'll see if I can get them to help you with that.

Morris: You're a good kid Flippy! I haven't met a soldier like you since, well, since I was in the war! Most of the soldiers they send here are either sticks in the mud or so inexperienced that they couldn't hit the side of a barn! *laughs*

Flippy: Thanks, I think. *smiles*

Morris: Let me know if you need any help setting up, I'm heading back to the village to make sure those who died come back alright.

Flippy nodded and started setting up his tent. Once it was set up, he placed his bag on the fold out bed and unpacked some of the items. He sat down and looked though the photo album Flaky had gotten him.  
He couldn't help but laugh at the one of Handy, Flaky, The Mole, Russell, and Lumpy trying to play Twister without killing each other. The only one who had gotten out of that alive was Lumpy, no surprise there. Flippy could never figure out how he some times managed to stay alive while everyone else died. Another one that made him burst out laughing was one of Handy trying to open an envelope on his own.  
After a while he got to the picture of him, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-Boom. The three of them were laughing in the picture, unaware that two of them were going to die that day. Flippy sighed, closed the book, and headed back towards the village. Everyone was minding their own business, continuing on with their normal day-to-day life.

Morris: Ah, there you are Flippy! You just missed the others come back to life. I'll have to make sure you see that before you head back to civilization!

Flippy: Sure thing! I can't wait to-

He was suddenly hit in the head with a small object. It hit him hard enough to cause him to fall down.

Flippy: Ow! What was that?! *rubbing his nose*

Morris bent down and picked the object up. He laughed whole heartily.

Morris: Looks like Mouse is playing with the little kids again. I don't know where he got this ball but man does it pack a punch! Even I've been knocked down by this thing a couple of times, especially when Chameleon's playing.

Flippy: This feels like déjà vu. This exact thing happened to me on my first day post-training.

Morris: Well, if what they say about history repeating itself is true, then things should start getting fun around here!

Flippy stood up and dusted himself off. Only then did he notice the guy standing behind Morris. He had dark green hair, blue eyes and a scar along his arm. He was wearing a white t-shirt, camouflage print pants, and army boots.  
Flippy's eyes widened slightly. The guy looked exactly like Sneaky, except for the scar on his arm.

Flippy: 'This can't be! I saw Sneaky die with my own eyes!'

Morris: Oh, hey there Cam! How're you doing?

Cam: I'm fine, thanks for asking Morris. Who's this? *looks at Flippy*

Morris: Cam, this is Flippy. He's the soldier they sent to help us with the problem we've been having lately. Flippy, this is Cam. He and Mouse came here a while ago without any memories, so we just call them by the name of their animal traits.

Cam: It's nice to meet you Flippy. Some people call me Chameleon, but feel free to call me Cam for short.

Flippy: N-Nice to meet you too.

Cam: Hey, are you alright? You look a little pale.

Flippy: O-oh, I'm fine. Um, I've got to go take of something so I'll see you around.

Cam: Alright. Sorry for hitting you in the face with the ball, I can get way too competitive some times. *chuckles*

Flippy raced off, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Had he really just seen Sneaky, or was it some sort of coincidence? No, it couldn't have been a coincidence, he looked and sounded exactly like Sneaky. The village had some sort of barrier similar to the one around Happy Tree Town, so is it possible that the barrier brought Sneaky back? Flippy stopped by his tent, catching his breath.

Flippy: This can't be true. There's no way that that was Sneaky, it's not possible! Okay, calm down and sort though the facts. Sneaky was shot and killed by a Tiger soldier during Operation Tiger Bomb. We were about half a mile away from the Tiger's base when he was killed. The village is about two and a half miles from the Tiger's base. The village has a barrier that is similar to the Happy Tree Town one, but there's something different. If I could only remember what it was, then I might be able to figure out what's going on!

Flippy sat on the ground, resting against a tree. He closed his eyes and tried his best to remember what it was that was different about the two barriers.

*flashback*

Sergeant: As long as they're in the barrier before twenty-four hours has passed, they'll come back to life.

*end of flashback*

Flippy: That's it! Although we weren't near the village when they died, the villagers must've found Sneaky and brought him back here. That means that Sneaky IS alive! *gasps* And if they found Sneaky then they must've found Mouse Ka-Boom. So if I'm correct, then that means that Cam is Sneaky and Mouse is Mouse Ka-Boom!

Cam: You know who we really are?!

Flippy jumped up from where he was sitting and turned around. Sitting in the tree's branches were Cam a.k.a Sneaky and a guy about his age which was obviously Mouse Ka-Boom. He was wearing a white t-shirt with an army jacket over top, goggles with ruby-red lenses, army boots, and camouflage print pants.

Mouse Ka-Boom: This is incroyable! It means that you can tell us who we really are! The only clue we've ever had is what ze villagers have been able to tell us, which isn't much, but better then nothing, non?

Sneaky: Well, that, and these half-melted dog tags as Morris called them. We know our ages, but our names were too melted. I don't get why they call them dog tags though, we're not dogs.

Flippy: So, you guys really don't remember anything?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Non, sadly. No matter how many times we have died, our memories have failed to return. *looks sad*

Sneaky: But you know who we are! You can help us get our memories back. I mean, it sounds like you were our friend, so you know a lot about us right?

Flippy knew almost everything about them, and if he wasn't trying to make sense of all of this he'd probably be hugging the two of them tightly.

Flippy: 'Why wouldn't I tell them who they really are? They're my friends, and besides, where's the harm?'

He started to tell Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom all he knew about the two of them when an explosion came from the village. The three turned and raced towards the village. Flippy gasped.  
The village was being attacked by Tiger soldiers. Blood and guts were splattered on the ground, and everywhere they looked people were either dead or dying. The sound of guns and yelling filled the air. Morris was trying to protect several of the villagers that hadn't been killed yet, but he was heavily out numbered.

Sneaky: H-how can this be happening? I-I thought that…

Mouse Ka-Boom: Why are they doing this to them? These people didn't do anything to ze Tiger army…

Flippy, on the other hand, was starting to 'flip-out'. His eyes changed from black to bright green, and his teeth grew unnaturally sharp. He looked at Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom, then back towards the village. To Evil's mind, the soldiers looked much more fun to kill then the two standing next to him.

Evil: Heheheh, looks like Morris was right about things getting fun. *grins*

Sneaky and Mouse Ka-boom looked at Evil just as he ran off towards the Tiger soldiers. Mouse Ka-boom started to follow him but Sneaky grabbed his arm before he could.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Sneaky? *looks at Sneaky*

Sneaky: I don't know why, but something tells me it would be a bad idea to try and follow him right now…

Evil pulled out his bowie knife and, while he wasn't looking, stabbed one of the Tiger soldiers in the back. He pulled the knife upwards so that the soldier was split in half starting at his waist. The other soldiers stopped and looked at him when they heard the soldier scream just before the knife reached his throat.

Tiger soldier: Oh my god, it's him! Run for it!

The Tiger soldiers started to retreat, but were suddenly tripped by a tripwire. Evil caught up with them quickly and started to kill them in way the others couldn't describe. When he was done, all that was left of the soldiers were a mess of bloody, mangled bodies. Evil licked the blood off of his knife, smiling. The villagers looked at him, terrified.

Mouse Ka-Boom: I think I am going to be le sick. *covers mouth*

Sneaky: That makes two of us. I'm grateful that we won't have to worry about the Tiger soldiers for a while, but that seemed like a little much.

Evil stood up, licked some of the blood off of his arm and turned towards Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom. He grinned his usual grin and ran towards them with incredible speed. Before he could get to them though Morris grabbed him and pinched a spot near his neck. Evil's eyes widened for a few seconds before he fell unconscious. After a minute, Mouse Ka-boom, Sneaky, and the surviving villagers walked towards him carefully.

Mouse Ka-Boom: He iz not… dead, is he?

Morris: Nope, just unconscious. I used an old trick I learned back in the war. Man, I heard about Flippy's 'flip-outs' when they told me he was coming here, but I didn't know that it was this bad. I guess that's why the Tiger soldiers are so scared of him…

Sneaky: I never could've guessed that Flippy would… Mouse, you don't think…

Mouse Ka-Boom: I'm not sure, but if you are thinking what I think your thinking, then I hope not…

The villagers looked at Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Although it didn't show much, not a lot of the older villagers trusted the two, not completely anyway.  
Morris tried his best to help the others trust the two, but even he wasn't sure what to think now. Judging from Flippy's uniform he, Mouse, and Sneaky were all part of the same team, so did they 'flip-out' too?

Morris: *sighs* Mouse, Cam, can you take Flippy back to his tent? I'll check on him once we've gotten rid of the dead Tiger soldiers and taken care of the other villagers.

Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom picked Flippy up and carried him back to his tent. Morris watched the three leave, then turned back to the villagers who had started complaining.

Woman: Morris, you know that those three have some kind of connection. What if Cam and Mouse are as dangerous as that bear?!

Man: If that's the case then I don't want them anywhere near my kids! Morris, you have to kick the three of them out of the village, otherwise they'll kill us just like that Flippy killed those Tiger soldiers!

Morris: Why are you people complaining? In case you forgot, the Tiger army has been harassing this village ever since-

Old Man: Ever since Cam and Mouse came to this village. Now I like those two, and Flippy seems like a genuinely nice guy, but we can't have them killing us all the time. Things are bad enough as it is with the Tiger Soldiers and with us dying on a regular basis!

Morris: If what I think just happened is true then Flippy isn't in control of when he turns what killed the Tiger Soldiers.

Woman: So what happened can happen at any given moment?!

Morris: Not exactly. Look, what I'm saying is that-

Man: It's obvious that Flippy's a ticking time bomb, waiting for someone or something to light it! Now we might come back to life every day but dying sure isn't something I like to do!

Woman: Either you kick Mouse, Cam, and that freak Flippy out of here or I will!

Morris opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He knew that if the rest of the villagers put their minds together there was no stopping them, and that they were right about Flippy. He didn't have any idea how bad Flippy's 'flip-outs' could get, and he didn't want to find out.

Morris: …Alright, I'll do something about it, but at least wait until he's awake. I think we owe him that much for saving us. Normally we'd all be dead after an attack like that, even me!

The villagers agreed to this and started taking care of the bodies. The only thing Morris could think of was how he was going to tell the three that they couldn't stay any more.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Flippy and Mouse Ka-Boom were by the front of their base, waiting for their new team member to finally show up. The two of them were kicking Mouse's blue-and-orange ball around. The ball bounced off of the truck that had just pulled. A chameleon with dark green hair and blue eyes stepped off of the bus.  
He got his bag out of the back of the truck and watched as it drove off. He walked over to Flippy and Mouse, picking up the ball that had bounced off the truck.

Sneaky: Hi, the name's Sneaky, I'm new here. This is yours right? *tosses ball to Flippy*

Flippy: Actually, it's Mouse's but thanks. *tosses ball to Mouse Ka-Boom*

Mouse Ka-Boom: Merci. So your Sneaky, non? You must be our new team member. I am Mouse Ka-Boom, et this iz Flippy. Nice to meet you, monsieur Sneaky! *smiles*

Sneaky: So, I'm partnered up with a mouse and a bear. Well, this should be interesting. Look, just stay out of my way and we should all get along just fine.

Sneaky walked off towards the general's tent while Mouse Ka-Boom and Flippy watched him. When he turned into the tent, Mouse threw his arms up in frustration.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Honestly, I've never met someone so…so… oh, what iz the word I'm looking for? *scratches head*

Flippy: Moody?

Mouse Ka-Boom: *snaps fingers* Oui, that's it! What iz with him, anyway?

Flippy: I'm sure he's just nervous. Remember how I was when we first met? You were the only one I'd speak to most of the time!

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oui, how could I forget?

The two laughed a little and then continued playing. After a while, Sneaky walked over and caught it.

Sneaky: …So, what are you guys doing?

Flippy: Just kicking the ball around. Want to play with us?

Sneaky: …Yeah, why not? *Smiles slightly*

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flippy opened his eyes to find that he was alone in his tent. He sat up slowly, just in case he had hurt himself. He looked at himself, seeing no sign of injury or illness. He rubbed his head, trying to remember what had happened. Sneaky's walked into the tent and smiled slightly.

Sneaky: Hey Flippy, how you feeling? You were out for two days.

Flippy: Two days?! Wh-What happened?

Sneaky: You don't remember? I would've thought that something like that would be something you wouldn't forget easily.

Flippy jumped up and grabbed Sneaky's shoulders and shook him. His eyes were wide in fear.

Flippy: What happened? I-I didn't kill anyone, d-did I?

Sneaky: Just a couple of Tiger soldiers, but… *shivers*

Flippy: But what?

Sneaky: But the way you did it… I haven't been able to concentrate on anything else but the soldiers' screams, and Mouse hasn't been able to sleep at all without getting nightmares…*looks down*

Flippy: Oh…

Flippy let go of Sneaky's shoulders and sat down on the bed, the memory of what happened coming back to him. The explosion from the village, the sight of people dead or dying in the streets, the smell of blood all around him, the sounds of the Tiger soldiers screaming as he killed them in ways he didn't know he could.  
He rubbed the spot on his neck where Morris had pinched him, or whatever it was that he had done. He looked up at Sneaky, a look of fear and sadness on his face. Sneaky sighed and sat down next to him.

Sneaky: …I've heard that this happens pretty often, and judging from your reaction it's not something you like, huh?

Flippy: *nods*

Sneaky: Well, if it helps to know, you didn't kill anyone who wasn't a Tiger soldier. Things are a lot more peaceful without having to worry about the Tiger army 24/7. Also, me and Mouse finally got a little bit of our memories back.

Flippy: Really? That's great!

Sneaky: Well, it's not a whole lot we remember, but we do remember having fought along side you against the tigers. I think seeing you 'flip-out' might have triggered something mentally. Either way, it's a heck of a lot better then not remembering anything. *smiles*

Mouse Ka-Boom: Sneaky, iz- Flippy, your awake! I was worried that you weren't going to wake up, you have been out for a long time!

Flippy: Good to see you too Mouse Ka-Boom. *smiles*

The three of them sat in the tent, talking about their days back in the war. Flippy had to fill in some of the blanks for Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky, but otherwise it was like they hadn't lost their memories at all. Flippy pulled out his Photo album and showed them all of his friends back in Happy Tree Town.

Flippy: I even got a photo of us. It's a little burnt around the corners but, you can still see the picture clearly.

Sneaky: So while me and Mouse were stuck in the middle of nowhere, you were leading a normal life. Well, at least one of us got to. *sighs*

Mouse Ka-Boom: Life here isn't that bad, although ze thought of all ze time gone by is a little much to handle, non? *sighs*

Flippy: Well, if you guys want, I could introduce you to all of my friends in Happy Tree Town. You guys could come with me when I go back.

Morris: That would probably be the best thing the three of you could do…

Flippy, Mouse Ka-Boom, and Sneaky looked up from the photo album to see Morris standing in the door way, a sad look on his face.

Flippy: Hey Morris, is something wrong? Why the long face?

Morris: …I've got some bad news. The rest of the villagers want me to make the three of you leave the village…

Mouse Ka-Boom: *shocked* Wh-what? Pourquoi?

Morris: After Flippy 'flipped-out' a lot of them got scared. They think that the three of you are time bombs waiting to go off. Their words, not mine.

Sneaky: Time bombs? What's the supposed to mean?

Morris: They think that what happened with Flippy is going to happen to you two as well. Some of them are even blaming the two of you for the Tiger army's attacks.

Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky: *shocked* What?!

Morris: That's what I said, but I guess there's some logic to it. I mean, they didn't start attacking us until a little while after the two of you showed up, and seeing as we've never done anything to them… Well, what would you think if you were in their places? You've got a few hours to say your goodbyes before the people who sent Flippy here come to pick you up. *leaves tent*

The three war buddies just sat there and look at each other, trying to understand what was happening. Mouse sat down and looked at the ground.

Mouse Ka-Boom: I never thought that ze villagers would do this to us…

Sneaky: This is ridiculous. We've done nothing wrong!

Flippy: I guess it was bound to happen, what with my 'flip-outs' and all. I mean, everyone in Happy Tree Town is alright with it, but I kinda figured that the villagers wouldn't. Still, I'm sorry for having you two drawn into this mess.

Sneaky: *sighs* I guess it's alright. There's no way you could've known this would happen.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Besides, it iz not like we have no place to go. You said it yourself, we could go to Happy Tree Town with you. Well, if it iz alright of course.

Flippy: Well, if you really do want to come to Happy Tree Town with me, I should probably tell you a few things about the people there.

Flippy told Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky about the barrier similar to the one around the village. He also told them a bit about what his friends were like. While they were packing Sneaky stopped and looked towards the jungle.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Iz something wrong Sneaky?

Sneaky: I heard something coming from the jungle, didn't you?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Well, I'm a little hard of hearing, so I can't say I did. Flippy?

Flippy: I didn't hear anything either. It was probably just some animal or something.

Sneaky: …Yeah, your probably right. So how much longer before they come to pick us up?

Flippy: *looks at watch* I'd say we've got another hour or so. You guys are really going to like everyone, although I think they're going to be surprised, seeing as I told them you two were dead.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Well, they can't say you were lying, non? We were dead for a while.

When they had finished packing the three walked out of the tent, Morris waiting not that far away. His expression looked a little grim, but the three figured that it was because of how things had turned out. Sneaky noticed that he had blood on his boots.

Morris: You guys done packing yet?

Flippy: Yeah, we just finished. Well, not that we had a whole lot anyway, heheh.

Morris: Still, I'm sorry that it's come to this. *looks down*

Sneaky: It's alright Morris, none of us could have known. Can't say I'm happy about it, but what can you do right?

Morris: I can think of something. *grins*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *looks at Morris's boots* Morris, why iz there blood on your boots? Did someone die?

Morris pulled a knife out from his boot and threw it at Sneaky, pinning him against a tree. Flippy pulled out his bowie knife and charged at the red wolf, only to be thrown onto his back. Mouse tried to tackle him but he was no match for Morris's strength, and he was easily knocked away. Morris turned his attention back to Flippy who was still a little dazed. He picked up the smaller green bear and started to walk away when something hit his neck.

Morris: Ow! What the… *falls unconscious*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *runs over to Flippy* Flippy, are you alright?

Flippy: I'm more confused then anything. Why did Morris attack us like that?

Sergeant: Because he considered the three of you as a threat.

The two of them looked up to see Flippy's sergeant standing by Sneaky, who was holding his wound to try and stop the bleeding.

Flippy: Sergeant, what are you doing here? What do you mean he saw us as a threat?

Sergeant: I'll explain later. First, let's get you three out of here before someone else attacks you.

Reluctantly, Flippy, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-Boom followed him though the jungle. After several minutes they arrived at a base similar to the one in Happy Tree Town. After getting Sneaky's knife wound treated, the sergeant walked into a decent sized office and sat behind the desk.

Sergeant: Please, have a seat you three, there's a lot I need to tell you.

The three sat down and the Sergeant explained how apparently the message that the Tiger army was going to bomb Tree country had only been a plot to get Flippy into the jungle so that they'd have a better chance to get him.

Flippy: Although that's a relief, it doesn't explain why Morris attacked us.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Or why ze Tiger army was attacking the village.

Sneaky: Or why you're here. Who are you again?

Sergeant: As I said, the message about bombing Tree country was a hoax to get Flippy to the jungle. Morris was an agent of the Tiger Soldiers sent to make sure that we sent Flippy, as well as to capture him. Apparently, everyone in that village over the age of twenty was an agent as well.

Mouse Ka-Boom: What?! H-How can that be? Those people were our friends!

Sneaky: If they were all agents of the Tiger army, then why would the Tiger army attack them?

Sergeant: Again, a hoax of sorts. The village was made only as a way to lure Flippy there.

Sneaky: Wait, that doesn't make any sense. Mouse Ka-Boom and I were in that village for at least a year, so how could it have been a hoax?

Sergeant: *sighs* You see Flippy, this is why I didn't want you to tell them who they really were when you saw them. You see, the truth is that the two of you did die, but from what our spy network has told us, the Tiger army took the bodies back to their base and used them in experiments regarding genetic manipulation.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Excusez-moi?

Sergeant: We don't know all of the details, but we do know for certain that they altered your memories so that you thought you had been living in the village ever since Operation Tiger Bomb failed.

Sneaky and Mouse couldn't believe it. Who knows how many of there memories had been changed? Mouse Ka-Boom stood up and ran out of the room, not wanting to believe it.

Sneaky: Mouse, wait! *chases*

Mouse Ka-Boom ran though the base, hardly noticing where he was going. Sneaky and Flippy were doing there best to catch him before he got himself hurt. After a while they finally found him in a room that they had passed when they first got there but hadn't noticed.  
Mouse Ka-Boom was sitting in front of a filing cabinet, facing away from Flippy and Sneaky. The two kneeled next to him, looking at the file folder he was looking though.

Sneaky: What's this about?

Mouse Ka-Boom let out a surprised squeak and turned around to face the two. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oh, it iz you two. For a moment I thought that it was someone else.

Flippy: It's a good thing we found you. We were worried that you would've gotten hurt. Why are you looking though that file anyway?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Well, I was running though ze building, trying to find some place to be alone, when I ran in here. I noticed that one of ze draws was open, so I took a look and saw my name on one of ze files. Specifically, ze one I'm reading now. I am hoping that it can tell me a little bit more about who I really am. Plus, I do not want to think about how… *shivers*

Sneaky: Yeah, I know how you feel. Find anything interesting?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Apparently I was an explosives expert. I can not really see myself as such a thing, but I guess it does explain why I'm a little hard of hearing, non? *laughs slightly*

Flippy: There's a funny story behind that. I'll tell you later, but for now we should probably get going before the Sergeant gets mad. Trust me, you do not want to see that happen!

The three friends walked though the base back towards the Sergeant's office. It had taken a lot of convincing, but Mouse eventually put the file back where he had found it. Flippy felt happy to have his best friends back, but a part of him felt that something was wrong. When they got back to the office, they Sergeant was on the phone with someone.

Sergeant: Alright, goodbye. *hangs phone up* Welcome back you three, I was beginning to worry. I just got off the phone with the person in charge of the Tree country base, he said that he'll send a plane for you in an hour but it might not get here for a while.

Flippy: That's good news. I can't wait to see Flaky and everyone else again! I should probably call them to let them know I'm coming back.

Sergeant: You won't be able to call them from here, but there should be a phone at the Tree country base you can use. However, seeing as the plane won't be here until tomorrow at least, the three of you might as well stay here for the night. I'll get someone to show you to your rooms.

Flippy: Thanks. Oh, I almost forgot about something I wanted to ask you!

Sergeant: Oh, what?

Flippy: You said that Morris was an old army veteran, right?

Sergeant: I do recall saying that, why?

Flippy: If that's true, then why would he turn against us and work for the Tiger army? It doesn't make any sense.

Sergeant: That's what we're trying to figure out too. Well, for the time being don't worry about it, we have one of our undercover operatives working on it. In the mean time just try and get some rest.

The three nodded and headed to their rooms. Once the three of them had left, Sergeant locked the door and walked over to his desk. He picked up the phone and called someone.

Sergeant: Hello, it's me. I'm just reporting in on how things are going. So far, he doesn't have any idea of what's truly going on.

????: That's good. What about his 'flip-outs' as he calls them?

Sergeant: It seems as though he's gained better control over when the project appears, and what's worse, looks like we've got some…unexpected problems.

????: Unexpected? Define unexpected.

Sergeant: Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky are alive.

????: Still?! They were supposed to be dead by now! *sighs* Fine, we'll just have to work around this. Make sure that the plane Flippy and his friends get on has a little "accident" tomorrow. If that doesn't work, go forward with Operation Pele.

Sergeant: B-but sir, that means-!

????: I know what it means, but the situation is serious. If we can free the project from Flippy, then we'll be able to move forward with our plan. Do you know what could, no, what will happen if we fail?

Sergeant: Understood, sir. I'll call you with my next up date.

???: Good, and remember just how much relies on this. We can't let the project escape us again. *hangs up*

Sergeant: *hangs up* Heheh, if you only knew what was going to happen to you and your pathetic friends Flippy, if you only knew. *grins*

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Flippy, Mouse Ka-Boom, and Sneaky had gotten separated from each other during a mission. Last thing Flippy remembered he was trying to find them when he was hit in the back of the head. When he woke up he was in a cold, dark, damp cell. His clothes were torn and he had several injuries that he didn't remember getting.  
He tried to move his hands but soon discovered that they were tied tightly behind his back. He took deep breaths to keep himself calm, but he was afraid.

Flippy: My first assignment in this part of the jungle and I get locked up in some weird cell, undoubtedly owned by the Tiger General… *gulps*

Almost as soon as he said that, the door flew wide open and two blue tigers with guns walked into the cell. They grabbed Flippy's arms wordlessly and dragged him out of the cell. He struggled against them but it wasn't easy considering his hands and ankles were tied.

Flippy: Where are you taking me?! You better let me go or I'll-

?????: You'll what, bear?

Flippy looked to where the voice came from and gasped. He had only seen his picture once, but he knew that he wasn't good. The green bear stared directly at the Tiger General, both shocked and frighten that he was there.

Flippy: Y-you're the Tiger General! Wh-what are you doing here?!

Tiger General: I just came to watch the entertainment, I was told that it would be quiet a spectacle. *grins*

Flippy: Entertainment? What are you talking about? *nervous*

Tiger General: You'll find out soon. Guards, take him to the torture chamber. Do whatever you want until he spills all his secrets.

Tiger soldiers: Yes sir!

Several weeks later, Flippy was in the corner of his cell, clinging onto a stuff toy that one of the kinder soldiers had given him. He was completely covered in cuts, bruises, burns, and whip marks. His eyes were red from crying so much, and he could barely speak without sobbing. Every night he wished that someone would come save him, but he had started to loose hope a while ago.

Flippy: *whispers* P-please, someone k-kill me and let me get away from this place…*crying quietly*

Flippy flinched as he heard the door's creaky hinges. He knew that someone was coming to torture him some more, even though he had already told them all he knew. He held Fluffy, the toy rabbit he had been given, close to his chest, hoping that it would all be over soon.  
He whimpered as he heard two sets of feet getting closer to him. He did his best to press himself into the corner, keeping his eyes closed tightly. He had gotten used to the guards kicking or punching him before they take him to his new torture. What he didn't expect was someone hugging him tightly.  
Flippy's eyes widened as he feared that this could be some kind of new torture, to show him some compassion and then have that person turn on him. However, he immediately dismissed that thought when he heard the person's voice. It was Mouse Ka-Boom, but Flippy could barely hear him over the ringing in his ears that had been caused by one of the tortures he had been forced to go though.

Flippy: …M-Mouse? S-Sneaky? A-are you guys really here, o-or have I finally gone crazy? *crying*

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oui, it iz us Flippy. We have come to rescue you.

Sneaky: We'd better hurry, I don't know how well those decoys we made are working.

Mouse started to let go of Flippy, but before he could Flippy grabbed his shirt.

Flippy: D-Don't go! I-I can't stand being alone! I-if I'm alone they'll come and t-torture me again and again and again and… *breaks down crying*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *ears go down* Flippy… Those swine! When I get them they will wish they had never been born! *clenches fists*

Sneaky: I feel the same way, but right now we've got to get him out of here. Those grape bombs you set up should keep them distracted for a little while longer, but we've got to hurry. Flippy, can you walk at all?

Flippy: I-It hurts too m-much to move. W-why couldn't th-they have just killed me and g-get it over with. W-why? *crying*

Sneaky looked at Flippy sadly and then nodded at Mouse Ka-Boom. He nodded back and picked Flippy up, being careful not to hurt him. They started to leave when Flippy grabbed onto the doorframe with his good hand.

Flippy: F-Fluffy… *looks back into the cell*

Mouse Ka-Boom: Who? *sees where Flippy is looking* Oh, your talking about ze toy bunny, non?

Flippy: *nods weakly*

Sneaky walked back into the cell, picked up the toy, walked out and gave it to Flippy who happily took it. He was still in really bad shape but he looked a tiny bit happier with it.  
Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky raced out of the building, being careful to avoid any and all tiger soldiers along the way. When they were a safe distance away from the building, Mouse handed Flippy over to Sneaky and pulled a detonator out of his pocket. He pressed the button and watched as the Tiger army's base blew up in several places.  
The last thing he remembered before blacking out was seeing Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom looking at him smiling.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flippy woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. He tried his best to calm down but nothing seemed to work, so he grabbed his jacket and went outside the base for some fresh air. He looked up at the night sky, trying to keep calm. After several minutes he wasn't getting worse but he wasn't getting better either.

Flippy: What's going on? If all else fails this always works to calm me down enough so that I don't flip out! I guess the fact that I'm at this base isn't really helping. *laughs nervously*

Sneaky: Flippy? What are you doing out here this late?

The green bear turned around and faced Sneaky who was wearing an army jacket with a black t-shirt underneath and blue jeans. Judging from the tiredness in his eyes he hadn't been able to sleep either.

Flippy: Just trying to avoid flipping-out. You?

Sneaky: Couldn't sleep, and how does being outside help you to not 'flip-out' anyway?

Flippy: The night air usually helps clear my head, but it doesn't seem to be working very well tonight. Maybe it's the fact that I'm at a military base. Well, at least I'm not getting worse. *laughs nervously*

Sneaky: If you say so. *looks at the sky*

Flippy: Well, at least I know that I'll be back in Happy Tree Town soon, so there's that. *smiles*

Sneaky: It must be hard, being away from all your friends and family… Hey Flippy, is… is there anyone waiting for me or Mouse Ka-Boom?

Flippy looked at Sneaky who was still looking at the sky. His ears went down at the thought of family. Like him, Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom didn't have any family that Flippy knew of.

Flippy: *looking down at the ground* The three of us were really all the family each other had…

Sneaky: Yeah, I kinda figured that. Just wanted to make sure. That, and I really didn't feel like talking to anyone else right now. *laughs slightly*

Once Flippy had finally calmed down enough that there was no threat of him 'flipping-out' the two headed back inside. On the way, Flippy saw someone in the hanger.

Flippy: 'Who would be here this late at night?'

Sneaky: Hey Flippy, something up?

Flippy: I think there's someone in the hanger. We'd better check it out.

Sneaky nodded and followed him into the hanger. They hid behind some of the crates and saw that there were five people there, the Sergeant, two normal soldiers (a grey hedgehog and an orange dog), and two people that Flippy couldn't quite make out because of the lighting. The one closer to him and Sneaky was shorter and slightly hunched forward, while the other one was struggling against the soldier's tight grip. From where they were Flippy and Sneaky could hear everything they were saying.

Sergeant: Never thought you'd see me again, did you two? *grins*

?????: I can't see you at all with this stupid blindfold on you ignoramus! If you've hurt any of my friends you'll regret it! *angry*

?????: P-please, w-we didn't d-do anything wrong. W-why d-did you take us a-a-away from o-our friends a-and family? *trembling*

Sergeant: Because the two of you are closer to the truth behind why I pulled that deranged bear back into action then even you realize. Honestly, do either of you think that I made Flippy go on that mission because he was the best choice? Hah, that's a laugh!

Flippy flinched as he recognized the voices of Sniffles and Flaky. He looked over at Sneaky, worried that the Sergeant might hurt them.

Sneaky: *whispers* Flippy, who are those two? Do you recognize them?

Flippy: *whispers* It's Flaky and Sniffles, two of my friends from Happy Tree Town.

Sneaky: *whispers* How can you tell?

Flippy: *whispers* Sniffles is the only person I know who would use a word like ignoramus in a situation like this and no one stutters as much as Flaky.

Sneaky: *whispers* Still, how'd they get here? We're in the middle of the jungle for cryin' out loud!

The two looked over quickly as they heard a sharp cry of pain. Sniffles's cheek was red. The Sergeant must have slapped him.

Sergeant: Will you be quiet already?! It's bad enough that I still have the taste of puke in my mouth from when I last visited that pathetic little town without having you rambling off in my ear! *calms down* No matter, soon enough you won't be able to talk at all unless I say you can. *grins*

Sniffles: W-what do you mean by that? What do you plan to do, and who are you?

Sergeant: *sighs* Remove their blindfolds, it's not like we have anything to fear from an overly shy porcupine and some know-it-all anteater.

The soldiers ripped Sniffles and Flaky's blindfolds off roughly. The two opened their eyes and gasped.

Sniffles: *gasps* Your Flippy's Sergeant! I knew something was up the moment I saw you! It doesn't take a genius to know that someone with a scar like that has something to hide!

Flaky: *trembling in fear* P-Please d-don't hurt us…

Sergeant: Now, now, there's no need to be afraid of me, Flaky. Soon enough you won't be afraid of anything ever again. You won't be able to control yourself at times, but you won't be scared as much. *smiles*

Flaky: H-huh? W-why?

Sergeant: I'll leave that up to your imaginations for the time being. Let's just say that, if all goes well, the two of you will have something else in common with Flippy. *looks at the soldiers* Take the girl to the holding cells and the boy to the interrogation room. I'll be there after I make sure a certain someone and his friends never make it back to Happy Tree Town.

Soldiers: Yes, sir! *salute*

Sergeant: *salutes back and leaves*

Flippy watched as the soldiers left the hanger with Flaky and Sniffles. When they were gone, the green bear and chameleon walked out from behind the crates and looked at each other.

Flippy: I-I can't believe it… Sneaky, if the Sergeant's going to do to Flaky what I think he's going to do, then we've got to get them out of here tonight.

Sneaky: We should probably get Mouse Ka-Boom first. I don't know what exactly is going on, but it would probably be safer for all of us if we stick together.

Flippy: Good idea. We won't be able to get Sniffles until he's out of the interrogation room anyway.

They went to Mouse Ka-Boom's room, trying not to draw any unwanted attention. When they got to Mouse's room Flippy went in and woke him up.

Mouse Ka-Boom: *yawns* What iz it Flippy? Iz there a problem?

Flippy told Mouse Ka-Boom what he and Sneaky heard in the hanger, and how the Sergeant was going to try and make Flaky have 'flip-outs' like him.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Sacrebleu! That iz a problem! We'd better save your friends before it iz too late!

Flippy, Mouse Ka-Boom, and Sneaky went to where the holding cells were. They were almost there when they were stopped by the grey hedgehog that Flippy and Sneaky had seen in the hanger.

Hedgehog: What are you three doing here, especially this late at night? This area is off limits to unauthorized personal.

Flippy: Oh, sorry. We, um, got lost. None of us could sleep so we started walking around and now we can't find our way back. *laughs nervously*

Hedgehog: I'm going to have to take you to the Sergeant so that-

An alarm went off, causing the soldier, Mouse Ka-Boom and Flippy to flinch. The soldier ran off and Flippy and Mouse Ka-Boom were about to do the same when an invisible force grabbed them.

Sneaky: Relax, it's me. I blended into the background and pulled the alarm so that we could get to Flaky without any problems. Her name was Flaky, right? *lets go of Flippy and Mouse Ka-Boom*

Flippy: Yep, and thanks for doing that. Even though we're going to have to be a lot more careful, at least we'll be able to get to Flaky easier.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Wait, what does she look like?

Flippy: She's a red porcupine with really bad dandruff. She's also really shy.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Got it.

The three ran into the holding cells and started to look for Flaky. After a while they found her huddled in the corner of a cell, terrified.

Flippy: Flaky, it's me, Flippy! We've come to save you.

Flaky: F-Flippy, your alright! I-I was so w-worried th-that you w-were hurt o-or worse.

Flippy: Don't worry Flaky, we'll get you out of here, we just have to find the keys first.

Flaky: W-we?

Flippy: I'll explain in a minute.

Mouse Ka-Boom: I found ze keys. *hands them over to Flippy*

Flippy unlocked the cell door and Flaky ran over to him, hugging him tightly. She then looked over at Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky, then back to Flippy.

Flippy: Flaky, these two are Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky. They're my friends from back in the war.

Flaky: B-But I thought y-you said th-that they were d-dead?

Flippy: Well, you know how there are other places like Happy Tree Town showing up? Turns out that the two of them were in a village with a similar barrier, but unlike Happy Tree Town's barrier where you have to be in it when you die, even if you died outside of the barrier but were in it before twenty four hours past then you were fine.

Flaky: W-wow, th-that's amazing. I-I bet Sniffles w-would- *gasps* S-Sniffles! Flippy, t-they kidnapped S-sniffles too! W-we have to h-help him!

Flippy: Don't worry, were not going to leave him behind, but first we've got to find a way to get out of here safely.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sniffles was sitting in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He was trying to think of ways to escape when the Sergeant walked in. He closed the door behind him and sat in the chair opposite Sniffles. He had a serious look on his face.

Sergeant: Now Sniffles, if you don't want to end up dead or worse, you'll tell me everything you know about the barrier around Happy Tree Town.

Sniffles: You kidnapped me and Flaky just so you could ask me questions about the barrier?! You know you could've just gone to Happy Tree Town and asked me nicely, right?

Sergeant: True, but I prefer to keep things like this private. Besides, no one knows more about the Happy Tree town barrier then you, right? After all, your dad was the one who discovered how wide the barrier is, correct?

Sniffles: True, but I haven't been able to figure out much about the barrier either. Honestly, I'm surprised that my dad was able to figure out that much!

Sergeant: We both know that's a lie. Now you tell me everything you know about the barrier or I won't be able to promise the safety of you and your little friends. You wouldn't want to be responsible for their deaths, now would you?

Sniffles: *eyes widen slightly* …

Sergeant: Good, I think we understand each other. Now, tell me what-

Before he could say any more the alarm went off. The Sergeant and Sniffles looked up at the flashing red light.

Sniffles: 'What's going on? Who could've pulled an alarm and what for?

Sergeant: Darn it, of all the times it could've gone off! *clenches fists* Looks like we'll have to continue this later.

The Sergeant left the room to see what was happening. He grabbed the arm of one of the fleeing soldiers and asked him what had happened.

Soldier: There's something wrong in the holding cell area, but that's all I know sir!

The Sergeant gritted his teeth as he realized what must've happened. He let go of the soldier's arm and walked back into the interrogation room, slamming the door behind him.

Sergeant: So, Flippy's finally joined our little game has he? Well, he'll soon learn that he's playing a very, very dangerous game, one that he can't win.

Sniffles: I don't know what your plan is but it won't work! Flippy or someone will stop you!

Sergeant: We'll see about that. For now, however, let's make the game a little more interesting. *pulls a knife out of his pocket*

Sniffles: Wh-what are you- Gah! *eyes widen*

The Sergeant had stabbed Sniffles in the chest, leaving the knife there. He turned and walked out of the room, and just as he was about to close the door he looked back at Sniffles and smiled wickedly.

Sergeant: Looks like you're the first one to die. No matter, we should be able to move forward with our plan, even without your assistance.

Sniffles: Y-you'll never g-get away with this…

Sergeant: We shall see about that, heheheh. *closes door*

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

It had been almost a month since Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky had rescued Flippy. He was still pretty weak from everything that he had been though, but he was finally starting to recover. The green bear was sleeping, completely exhausted from that day's activities. Even though it was mid-day, he wasn't able to stay awake any longer. Flippy was dreaming about the tortures he had been forced to endure, but no matter how horrible it was he couldn't wake up.  
Sneaky was sitting in a tree near the edge of camp, unable to stop thinking about how Flippy had looked when they found him. Even a month later, he couldn't get the image of Flippy's wounds out of his head. He shivered at the thought that if they had been any later, Flippy could've been dead. During his first few days back, Flippy had tried to kill himself because the memories alone were too much for him. Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom had made sure that at least one of them were with him at all times, so that he wouldn't kill himself.  
Mouse Ka-Boom was sitting next to Flippy, trying to coax him out of his nightmare without any luck. He sighed and sat back in his chair, looking at the bear. He shivered at the thought of losing one of his best friends. He patted Flippy's head, glad that at least he was alive. The doctors had said that it was touch and go for a little while but that he'd pull though. Even so, he still blamed himself for everything.

Mouse Ka-Boom: *sighs* It should've been me, not you Flippy. It should've been me…

The next day Flippy, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-Boom were walking around the camp. Several of the other soldiers kept on looking at Flippy sadly. Although he wouldn't say anything, the green bear hated it, it made him feel weird.

Soldier: *whispers* Hey, did you hear what happened to him?

Soldier: *whispers* I heard that even after he had past his breaking point they kept on torturing him. Poor kid.

Flippy looked down at the ground, trying to tune everyone out. Even though he was back to normal physically, mentally he was a mess. The only people he would talk to were Mouse and Sneaky, and even then he didn't say much.

Flippy: *sighs* …

Sneaky: Hey Flippy, why don't we get something to eat? You've barely eaten these last few days.

Flippy: No thanks, I'm not hungry.

Mouse Ka-Boom: You must eat something, monsieur Flippy. If you are ever to regain your strength you-

Flippy: I'm not hungry, get that through your thick skulls. *glares at Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom*

Sneaky: Hey, there's no reason for you to get so upset, we're just trying to look out for you. *clenches fists*

Flippy: …

Sneaky: *unclenches fists and sighs* Why don't we take you back to your tent? You should at least try to relax a little bit.

Flippy: *nods*

On the way back to Flippy's tent, a soldier bumped into Flippy. He was a yellow monkey that had been sent to the jungle to replace one of the soldiers who had been sent home.

Soldier: Oh, sorry about that, didn't see you there. Heheh, I'm still trying to get used to the jungle.

Flippy: It's alright.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Let's get going Flippy, you are still pretty tired, non?

Soldier: Flippy? Where have I heard that name before? Hm… Oh, I know! Your that soldier that the Tiger army had captured, right?

Flippy: *flinches* H-How did you f-find out about that?

Soldier: A lot of the other have been talking about it. What was it like? Did you see the Tiger General? What-

Mouse Ka-Boom: *angry* Enough with ze questions already! Can't you see that he does not want to talk about it?!

Soldier: H-Hey, calm down, I was just curious.

Mouse Ka-Boom and the soldier kept on arguing but Flippy could barely heard them. His eye was twitching and he could feel his teeth sharpen. He closed his eyes tightly and held his head. When he opened his eyes they had changed from green to golden yellow. He grinned a pointed tooth smile at the soldier.

Evil: So, you want to know what it was like, huh? Why don't I show you? *chuckles evilly*

Before the soldier, Mouse Ka-Boom, or Sneaky could ask him what he was talking about Evil grabbed the soldier and stabbed his bowie knife into his shoulder. He then pulled it down while it was still in the soldier's shoulder. Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom were too shocked to react. After a while Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom snapped out of it and tried to pull Evil off of the soldier who was now covered in deep cuts and a couple of bite marks.

Sneaky: Flippy snap out of it! What's up with you?!

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oui, you are not acting like yourself! What iz ze meaning of attacking a fellow soldier?

Evil: Hey, he's the one who wanted to know what it was like. *looks at the soldier*

The soldier was bleeding heavily, too scared to move. Evil tried to get at the soldier again but Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom were holding onto his arms too tightly. Eventually Evil wore himself out and reverted back into Flippy before falling unconscious.  
Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom looked at Flippy then at each other, trying to figure out what had happened. Only then did they notice the crowd that had formed during the time Flippy attacked the soldier. They did their best to get him out of there without attracting any more attention.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky were looking for a way to escape, Flippy and Flaky were looking for Sniffles. They were hiding from several soldiers that had seen them. Flaky was trembling and had to keep her mouth covered to prevent from hyperventilating. Flippy peaked out from their hiding place.

Flippy: Looks like the coast is clear. Come on Flaky, if my memory of this place is right, the interrogation room shouldn't be that far away.

Flaky: *nods* F-Flippy, y-you don't think th-that Sniffles might be…

Flippy: I hope not… Come on, let's get going before any more soldiers show up.

Flaky: *nods*

The two of them ran down the hallway quickly to avoid being seen. Before they reached the end of the hallway, Flaky noticed that one of the doors had been left slightly open. She grabbed Flippy's sleeve and pointed it out to him. Carefully, the green bear opened the door the rest of the way.

Flippy: *gasps* Sniffles!

Sniffles looked up weakly. He had a dagger sticking out of his chest and his shirt was covered in blood. Flaky raced over and untied his wrists, which took a while because her hands wouldn't stop shaking.  
Once Sniffles' wrists were untied, Flippy wrapped one of his arms around his waist and put the other under Sniffles' shoulders.

Flippy: Hang in there Sniffles, just until we can get back home. Just don't die!

Sniffles: *coughs* Can't make any promises…

Flaky: Oh, t-this is all my fault! I-if I hadn't c-called to ask h-how you were d-doing Flippy…

Flippy: It's not your fault Flaky. I know the Sergeant well enough to know that he would've come after you guys even if you hadn't called. How'd you get the number anyway?

Flaky: I-I found it I-in your closet w-while I was cleaning…

The three made their way towards the hanger as quickly as they could. Flippy, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-Boom had agreed to meet there once they had found Sniffles and a way to escape.  
Meanwhile, Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom were already in the hanger waiting for Flippy to get there. Sneaky was walking back and forth, worried.

Sneaky: What's taking them so long? They should've been here by now.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Do not worry Sneaky, I'm sure that they are fine. Besides, we already got way out of here, so we should be fine, non?

Sneaky: I guess your right. Think it'll hold five people? It is kinda small.

Mouse Ka-Boom: I think so… *eyes widen for a second* Um, excuse-moi, I just remembered something that I forgot in my room. I'll go get it. *stands up to leave*

Sneaky: If your going after that file, don't. You'll only get yourself killed.

Mouse Ka-Boom turned around and looked at Sneaky surprised. How had he been able to guess what he was going back for? Mouse clenched his fists and continued walking towards the door. When he grabbed the doorknob he was suddenly grabbed by Sneaky who pulled him away from the door. Mouse Ka-Boom tried elbowing Sneaky in the stomach but missed and hit chest. Sneaky flinched a little but didn't let go. Mouse Ka-Boom started yelling at him in French but it was easy to see that he was mad.

Sneaky: Will you calm down already?! Your going to reveal us to everyone in the building! Why does it matter so much to you anyway, it's just a bunch of paper!

Mouse Ka-Boom: Don't you get it?! That 'bunch of paper' as you put it iz all we have of who we are! I can't go ze rest of my life not knowing who I am! *crying*

The two of them were silent for a while. After a minute or two, Sneaky reluctantly let go of Mouse Ka-Boom. He turned to face Sneaky, confused.

Sneaky: *crosses arms and looks down* If it means that much to you, then go, but I'm not going after you if you get in trouble. Try to be back before Flippy and Flaky, alright?

Mouse Ka-Boom: …Alright, I'll try. *runs out of room*

Sneaky didn't look up until Mouse Ka-Boom was gone. He sighed and walked over to the plane to make sure everything was ready. The chameleon flinched a little when he heard someone enter the hanger. He immediately blended into his surroundings so that he wouldn't be seen. Two people wearing welding masks entered the room. Even with the masks he could see that they looked like soldiers.

Soldier 1: Alright, this is the plane that the Sergeant wants us to "fix". Let's get to work.

Soldier 2: Whatever, the sooner this is done the sooner I can get to sleep!

Sneaky: 'Darn, now what am I gonna do? That's the plane we're going to use to escape. If they tamper with that then we won't be able to get out of here! I've got to do something, but what?'

While Sneaky was trying to figure out what to do, Mouse Ka-Boom was on his way to where he had found the file the first time. On his way there he saw the Sergeant, obviously angry. He tried to find a place to hide. In an act of desperation, he ran into an open room and shut the door behind him.  
After a few minutes he heard the Sergeant's footsteps pass by the door. He leaned against the door and took a sigh of relief. Now that he was safe for the moment, he took the opportunity to look around. The only light in the room besides the red light which signalled an emergency was a light bluish-green glow coming from under two separate tarps.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Hm? What iz this? *rips the tarps off* *gasps* Th-this iz impossible! H-how c-can… I-if I'm… *shaking*

Mouse Ka-Boom grabbed his stomach and propped himself against the wall, taking deep breaths. His eyes were wide with fear and he couldn't think strait. What he had just seen was on the brink of impossible in his opinion. He shut his eyes tightly but couldn't stop thinking about what he had just seen.  
After a few minutes, he stopped shaking and stood up. He grinned widely and opened his eyes, which had changed from brown to bright orange. His teeth had sharpened and yellowed slightly. Mouse Ka-Boom looked over at the two cylindrical containers one more time and ran out of the room in the direction of the Sergeant. On his way there he ran into Flippy, Flaky, and Sniffles.

Flippy: Mouse? What are you doing here? I thought that you and Sneaky would be in the hanger. *confused*

Flaky: U-Uh, Flippy? I-I don't think h-he's alright…

Flippy looked from Flaky back to Mouse Ka-Boom just as he tried to slice his head off. Flippy reacted quickly enough so that instead of slicing his head off it just grazed his cheek. He was about to ask what was up with him when he noticed the look in his buddy's eyes.

Flippy: Flaky, take Sniffles for a minute. *hands Sniffles over to Flaky*

Flaky: Flippy? *worried*

Flippy: Trust me on- *punched in the face*

Flippy flew down the hallway and landed butt first on the floor. He pulled his bowie knife out although he didn't have any intention of using it to attack. Mouse Ka-Boom looked at Flaky and Sniffles for a moment then ran over to Flippy and tried to attack him again. Flippy dodged him and grabbed his neck, pinning him to the wall.

Flippy: Mouse, snap out of it! What's causing you to act like this?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Same thing that happened to you, bud. *grins*

Mouse Ka-Boom then kicked Flippy in the gut, forcing the green bear to let go of his neck. He lunged at him and tackled Flippy to the ground. The two started choking each other and rolling around trying to knock the other out. Flippy managed to get on top of Mouse and during a short second of confusion he managed to knock him out.

Flaky: W-why did h-he attack us?

Flippy: I think he flipped out for some reason.

Flaky: B-But I though th-the only one who did that w-was you.

Flippy: So did I. Come on, let's get to the hanger. Maybe Sneaky can explain this. Can you manage carrying Sniffles by yourself?

Flaky: *nods*

Flippy picked up Mouse's unconscious body and continued towards the hanger. When they got there they were surprised to see Sneaky standing beside two unconscious soldiers holding a welding torch, panting.

Sneaky: Well, that was fun…*panting*

Flaky: U-uh, a-are you alright?

Sneaky: Yeah, I'm fine. *looks over at Flippy* What happened to Mouse, is he alright?!

Flippy: I'll explain later, right now we've got to get back to Happy Tree Town before Sniffles' dies. Flaky, how's he doing?

Flaky: I-I don't know how m-much longer h-he's going to live…

Flippy: Sneaky, please tell me you can fly one of these things!

Sneaky: W-well, I'm going to give it a shot. I remember some training in flight but nothing impressive. Honestly, I'm hoping that once I'm inside the plane I'll remember enough to get us out of here.

Flippy: That's more then I've got planned. Let's just hope that we're not found before we're out of here!

Flippy and Flaky got Sniffles and Mouse Ka-Boom into the plane and placed got their bags behind the seats so that they wouldn't fall out if the doors opened mid-flight. Sneaky got in the pilot seat and was about to start up the plane when a bullet whizzed past his head. He looked over at the door and saw the Sergeant and several other soldiers firing at the plane.

Sneaky: Darn it, so much for a clean get away! Hang on you guys, this might get bumpy! *stomps on the gas*

As the plane took off towards the hanger opening the gates started to close and the soldiers were chasing after the plane as best as they could. Sneaky was doing his best to fly the plane safely though the hanger gates.

Flippy: We're not going to make it!

Sneaky: We'll see about that! *adjusts the gears*

Flippy and Flaky kept low to the floor of the plane to avoid incoming bullets as the plane got faster. Just when it looked as though they weren't going to make it, the plane narrowly avoided being crushed by the hanger doors.  
Flippy and Flaky got up from the floor and smiled. They had managed to get out of the base alive, and now all the had to do was get back to Happy Tree Town before Sniffles died.

Flippy: *holds Sniffles' hand* Hang in there Sniffles, we'll be home before you know it. *smiles*

Sniffles: *weakly* T-that's good…*coughs*

Sneaky: So Flippy, how exactly do we get to Happy Tree Town from here anyway?

Flippy: Just keep flying strait ahead and we'll be there before we know it. You and Mouse Ka-Boom are going to love it there, just you guys wait!

Sneaky: How's Mouse doing anyway? Is he still unconscious?

Flippy: *looks at Mouse Ka-Boom* Looks like it. Don't worry, he'll be fine.

Flaky: Flippy, w-what about what h-happened?

Flippy: Oh, yeah, I forgot about that for a minute. *rubs neck*

Sneaky: About what?

Flippy: I don't know why or how but Mouse Ka-Boom had a "flip-out".

Sneaky: What?!

Flippy: You know people have been saying that ever since I left Happy Tree Town and it's starting to get annoying! *sighs*

The neon green bear told Sneaky about how he and Flaky had ran into Mouse Ka-Boom in the hallway and how he had attacked them for no apparent reason. He also mentioned how Mouse's eyes had changed colour like his did when he flipped out, and how he had knocked him out.

Sneaky: …So, Morris was right. Mouse and I really are just time bombs waiting to go off… *tightens grip on controls*

Flippy: Sneaky, it's not-

Sneaky: No, it's fine. Hey, at least we're alive, right? *wipes eyes on sleeve*

Flippy: Sneaky…

Sneaky: Let's just focus on getting to Happy Tree Town, alright? I'll be fine.

Flippy: Alright, if you say so…

Flippy tried to rest for a while but couldn't stop trying to figure out what caused Mouse Ka-Boom to flip-out like that. All he could figure is that he saw or heard something that Sneaky didn't which caused him to snap.  
Eventually he fell asleep and started dreaming of Happy Tree Town and all his friends there.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Flippy sighed and placed his bag on the floor of his new house. He had just been discharged and now had to get used to civilian life as the Sergeant put it. The house he had been given was already paid for so he didn't have to worry about that. He looked around the living room, picked up his bag, and was about to head upstairs when the doorbell rang.

Flippy: Huh? Who could that be? *opens the door*

A pink chipmunk, a yellow rabbit, a purple beaver, and a red porcupine with dandruff were standing on the front porch. They all looked like they were in the eighth grade at least. The pink chipmunk was holding a box tied together with a ribbon.

Flippy: Um, hello? Who are you four? *scratches head*

Cuddles: I'm Cuddles. We heard that someone finally moved into this place so we decided to come and welcome them to the neighbourhood!

Giggles: I'm Giggles, welcome to Happy Tree Town! Everyone here is fairly nice so don't worry too much about making friends. Hope you like chocolate. *hands box to Flippy*

Flippy: *places box on table* Thanks.

Toothy: No problem! It was really all Flaky's idea. She saw the moving truck pull up here and figured that we should see who it is. It's been a while since we've had anyone move into Happy Tree Town, even with it's reputation.

Flippy: It's reputation? *confused*

Flaky: P-People d-die a lot here, b-but th-they, u-um…*trembling*

Flippy: Hey, are you alright?

Flaky: I'm sorry! *runs off*

Flippy: H-hey! *looks from Flaky to the trail of dandruff*

Giggles: I thought this was going to happen. Flaky's nice and all but she's such a scardy-cat! I thought that she would've left before the door even opened.

Cuddles: Well as Flaky was saying before she, well, flaked, Happy Tree Town is pretty dangerous. People die here all the time, but for some strange reason they come back to life in a day or two.

Toothy: As long as they don't die of something like old age of course. Weird, huh?

Flippy: People come back to life if they're killed?

Cuddles, Giggles, and Toothy spent the rest of the afternoon telling Flippy about the barrier and how everyone in town should've been dead or horribly mutilated at the least. When they were done Flippy leaned back against the chair he was sitting on.

Flippy: Well, this explains a few things. 'Mainly why the Sergeant sent me here instead of to some lab.'

Cuddles: It's pretty cool. I mean, if I were to accidentally, I don't know, push Giggles into a power saw and kill her it wouldn't matter because she'd just come back the next day!

Giggles: And then I could push him into the same saw when I come back. Not that I would, but I could.

Toothy: Oh hey, we still don't know your name. *looks at Flippy*

Flippy: I'm Flippy, and as you already knew I just moved here.

Giggles: So where are you from anyway?

Flippy: *shrugs* It's complicated.

Toothy: If you say so. *smiles*

Cuddles and Toothy died later that day but much to Flippy's surprise they were playing two days later in the park. Cuddles saw that Flippy saw them and waved at him. He stood there for a moment before Cuddles and Toothy walked over to him.

Toothy: Hey Flippy, wanna play with us?

Flippy: But…you guys were…I saw…how? *confused*

Cuddles: Like we told you, it happens all the time, so do you want to play or not?

Flippy: …Sure, why not? *smiles slightly*

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flippy's head was pounding as he looked up at the starry night sky. He didn't remember what had just happened nor did he have any idea how long he had been out. Flippy did what he did when this happened in his war days.  
First he did a mental check list of who had been with him before he blacked out. He had been with Sneaky who had been flying the plane, Sniffles who was about to die, Flaky who was trying to take care of his wounds as best she could, and Mouse Ka-Boom who had been unconscious.  
Next he tried to remember what had happened up to that moment. He had been sent on a mission to the jungle to investigate a village with a barrier like Happy Tree Town's but it turned out to have been some sort of plot by the Tiger army to capture him. He had discovered that Sneaky and Mouse were both alive and took them back to the base with him after Morris had tried to kill them. Later on he found out that the Sergeant had some sort of evil plan that involved him and his friends and that he had kidnapped Flaky and Sniffles. The five of them were flying towards Happy Tree Town in a plane that they had stolen from the base. Sniffles was loosing blood fast and probably wasn't going to make it. All of a sudden something happened to the plane and they started hurtling towards the earth and then… nothing.

Flippy: *murmurs* Why can't I remember what happened next?

Sniffles: Well, you did hit your head pretty hard when we crashed. Don't worry about getting me up to speed, the others have already told me everything I need to know and then some.

Flippy looked to his right to see Sniffles sitting next to him. He sat up and grabbed his side. He looked down and saw that it was bandaged and that the bandages had a little dried blood on them. He looked back at Sniffles, a little dazed still.

Flippy: Sniffles? But, last I remember we weren't anywhere near Happy Tree Town. How-

Sniffles: Apparently we were close enough to this abandoned village which has the same barrier as Happy Tree Town. Flippy, I hope you don't mind my asking but is this the place they sent you to investigate?

Flippy: I think. Sneaky- wait, what happened to the others, are they alright?! *grabs Sniffles' arm*

Sniffles: They're fine, you're the one we've been worrying about. We had to drag Flaky out of here because she kept on going on that you wouldn't wake up. You know her, heheh. *smiles slightly*

Flippy: Too true. What about Sneaky and Mouse? It's probably not all that easy being back here. How long have I been out anyway?

Sniffles: Two days. We all died in the crash, so I guess technically it's been only a day. Sneaky seems to be handling it pretty well, whatever 'it' is. At first he seemed a little out of it but he's back to normal, or at least I think he is. You know him better then Flaky and I.

Flippy: What about Mouse Ka-Boom? How's he holding up?

Sniffles: …*looks away*

Flippy: Sniffles? What's wrong?

Sniffles: You might want to talk to him. From what I can understand, he's going though something pretty big. I think it has something to do with whatever happened before we ran into him but after he left to find whatever it was he had been looking for.

Flippy let go of Sniffles' arm and had the blue anteater lead him to where Mouse Ka-Boom was. He saw Sneaky and Flaky on the way there. Flaky hugged Flippy tightly being careful not to pierce him with his quills. Sneaky also hugged him which was more surprising because he knew that Sneaky wasn't the type of person who hugged others unless he really meant it.

Sneaky: Truth be told I was more worried about you then she was. *nods over at Flaky and smiles*

Flippy: It's good to see that you four are alright. I guess it's pretty lucky of all the places we crashed we crashed here, huh?

Sneaky: *shrugs* I guess. Still, I think Mouse wishes we hadn't landed here. By the way, Flaky told me about what happened at the base… Yeah, you might want to talk to Mouse, he's over by the wreckage. He hasn't spoken much since… *looks down*

Flippy: I was on my way to do that. *starts to leave but stops* Hey Sneaky, you remember what you said on the plane?

Sneaky: Depends. Why?

Flippy: Just wanted to know is all. *continues walking*

Sneaky: ……

Flippy found Mouse right where Sneaky said he'd be. He was sitting on one of the broken wings, staring off into space. Flippy sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Mouse looked over at the green bear. Flippy could see that Mouse wasn't exactly all there, even after a week.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Flippy, your awake. That's good. *looks back down*

Flippy: Yeah, I was getting tired of being asleep… Mouse?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Yeah?

Flippy: How you doing?

Mouse opened his mouth to say something but suddenly held his head between his hands and started sobbing. Flippy held Mouse who then broke out crying. Flippy patted Mouse's head and did his best to comfort him.

Flippy: It's alright Mouse, everything's gonna be alright.

Mouse Ka-Boom: *crying* W-why did it happen? W-why…? I-I'm not even me when… you couldn't possible know how it feels…how I feel…

Flippy: Angry, scared, confused, like you've lost all control? Yeah, I think I know. I flip out too, remember?

Mouse Ka-Boom: *looks up at Flippy then back down* …So, this iz what you went though?

Flippy: What I go though all the time. It's not fun, I know, but it's what I got to deal with. What we both got to deal with. *frowns*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *wipes eyes on sleeve* I see. Well, I guess crying isn't going to help our situation, non?

Flippy: *shrugs* Can't make things worse, right?

Mouse smiled for a second and nodded. Flippy started telling him what he should expect from his flip-outs based on his experience.

Flippy: You'll have a little warning before you flip-out, but it usually doesn't do a whole lot of good. Also, Your probably going to get headaches from it and your not going to remember what you did when you flipped-out for a while.

Mouse: Iz there anyway to stop them? Ze flip-outs, I mean.

Flippy: Not really. I've tried a couple of things but eventually they start to backfire on me. Besides, it's not like Evil is easily contained. *looks down*

Mouse: Who? Oh, right, your flipped-out self.

After a couple more minutes of talking, the two of them started walking back to where the others were. Sneaky, Sniffles, and Flaky were a little surprised by how bad Mouse looked but were happy to see that he wasn't as upset now. The next couple of hours went by pretty quickly when suddenly a loud bang came from nowhere.

Sniffles: What was that?

Sneaky: I don't know but it sounded like it came from over by the plane.

Sneaky and Sniffles raced over to where the bang had come from. A section of the wing had fallen off and had hit another piece of metal before it had hit the ground. The two sighed and were about to go back to what they had been doing when they heard a low growl come from the other side of the plane.

Sniffles: Please tell me that was your stomach just now Sneaky.

Sneaky: Can't say it was.

Sniffles: *gulps* In that case, we should probably run!

Just as Sniffles turned around to run he was pinned down. The light-blue anteater let out a small cry of pain just as a flipped-out Mouse Ka-Boom sliced his neck open with a pocket knife. He looked up at Sneaky and grinned. He stood up and tried to hit Sneaky with the pocket knife. Sneaky dodged just in the nick of time and tried to punch him. The flipped-out mouse grabbed Sneaky's wrist and, with a quick flick of his hand, broke it.

Sneaky: *yells out in pain loudly*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *snaps out of it* Wha-? *let's go of Sneaky's wrist and backs away* O-Oh my, it happened, didn't it? *trembling*

Flippy: What happened, is everyone- oh my god, what happened?! *looks down at Sniffles*

Mouse Ka-Boom: I-I flipped out… I was next to the plane w-when the wing broke off a-and… Sneaky, I am so sorry! I didn't-

Sneaky: It's alright, my wrist will heal.

Mouse Ka-boom: Let me have a look-

Sneaky: *backs up a little* NO! Uh, no, I-it's alright, you don't have to…

Mouse Ka-Boom: Sneaky, your… y-your not scare of me, a-are you?

Sneaky: I-I…

Mouse Ka-Boom: Sneaky, I swear I didn't mean to hurt you, I-I couldn't stop myself! Please, you have to believe me! *grabs Sneaky's shoulders*

Sneaky: I do, I'm just a little freaked out is all. I mean, you just killed Sniffles and tried to kill me for crying out loud! Who wouldn't be a little nervous?

Mouse Ka-Boom: I-I… I guess you've got a point… *sits on the ground*

Mouse's ears went down and he sighed. Sneaky walked away and got Flaky to treat his wrist as best she could, all the time thinking about how Mouse had flipped-out.  
When Sniffles came back the next day, the five started rebuilding the plane so that they'd be able to get back to Happy Tree Town. Most of their stuff had survived the crash, and the plane itself was still repairable.

Sniffles: Alright, based on my inspection of the wreck, there are several key places of interest that need to be addressed before we can take flight. First off, we need to repair the tail end, the controls need to be rewired, and the wings need to be reattached altogether. We'll work faster if we divide into two groups. Flippy, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-Boom, you three will work on repairing the tail end first. Flaky and I will work on restoring the controls. Thankfully the main power supply wasn't badly damaged in the crash, so we should be able to still use it without much risk.

Flippy: What about the wings? We don't have any way to reattach them.

Sniffles: Sneaky, Mouse, you two know the surrounding area, so you should know where to find a binding agent of some sort, correct?

Sneaky: Well, there is one thing we could use. It's a weird type of sap that the vill- that the people who lived here used to glue piece of wood together to build doors and things like that. We know where to find it but I don't if it'll be strong enough.

Sniffles: In that case, we'll also need some vines to help secure the wings. Once we repair the tail end and the controls, Mouse Ka-Boom will lead Flaky to where the sap is. Sneaky and Flippy will go looking for vines. Alright, let's get to work!

While Sniffles and Flaky worked on the plane controls, Flippy, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-Boom started repairing the tail-end of the plane based on Sniffles' instructions. About two hours later, they finally finished fixing the tail-end and Mouse was just waiting for Sniffles and Flaky to finish the controls while Flippy and Sneaky went looking for vines and anything else that could act like a rope.

Sniffles: Flaky, go with Mouse Ka-Boom to find the binding agent, I should be able to finish this on my own.

Flaky: O-okay.

When Flaky and Mouse Ka-boom came back with a bucket full of a bluish white sap Flippy and Sneaky were sitting next to the plane with a pile of vines.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Iz Sniffles still working on ze controls?

Flippy: Yep. It's weird, usual he'd be done by now.

Sniffles: Finished! *crawls out from under plane* Oh, your all back! Do you guys have the sap?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oui, probably more then iz needed. *puts bucket down*

Sniffles: How long does it take to dry?

Sneaky: About ten minutes, give or take.

Sniffles: Alright, let's give it a test run first.

Sniffles picked up two piece of metal and glued them together using the sap. Ten minutes later he tried to pull them apart but they wouldn't budge.

Sniffles: Wow, that is some strong stuff. Are you sure this stuff is sap?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Non, but does that really matter?

Sniffles: Good point. Help me get this onto the wings of the plane so that we can glue them back into place.

They painted the side of the wing that attached to the plane with the sap and held in to the plane while it dried and then did the same for the other wing. After ten minutes the five of them tied the vines around the wings to make sure they wouldn't fall off mid-flight.  
They put all their stuff in the back and got inside. Sniffles insisted on being the one to fly the plane, and after Sneaky saw the new controls he didn't argue. Sneaky sat next to Flaky who was staring at the floor nervously.

Sniffles: Is everyone ready?

Everyone but Sniffles: No.

Sniffles: Alright, here we go! *starts the plane*

Everyone but Sniffles cringed as the plane started. They were sure that it was going to crash again but when they were in the air for several minutes they took a sigh of relief and looked at each other happily. The rest of the ride was uneventful and Flippy even told some of the knock-knock jokes from the book Toothy had given him before he left Happy Tree Town.  
Several hours later, they could finally see Happy Tree Town, and what they saw shocked them.

Flippy: Oh my god… what's happened to Happy Tree Town?

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Flippy: Oh my god… what's happened to Happy Tree Town?

Everywhere they looked there was military personal. Flippy looked down to see Shifty and Lifty running away from several soldiers, only to be cornered into an alley and thrown into the back of an armoured truck.  
Sniffles landed the plane on the roof of a near-by apartment. The five got out and looked down at the chaos below. Everywhere they looked people were either being thrown into the back of armoured trucks or were running for their lives.

Flaky: Wh-what h-happening? W-why are our friends b-being t-taken away?

Disco Bear: You probably know more then us.

The five turned around to see Disco Bear, Pop, and Russell standing behind them. Pop was holding Cub who was fast asleep, Disco Bear had what looked like some sort of stun gun and Russell was looking over the edge of the building. Although Flippy was happy to see some of his friends, he was more then a little confused by the situation below.

Flippy: DB, Pop, Russell, what's going on? Why is the military here?

Russell: Yar, th' scurvy dogs came out o' nowhere and startin' roundin' us up!

Pop: I tried asking one of them why but they tried to capture me and Cub. If it hadn't been for Disco Bear they would've.

Disco Bear: *shrugs* Only looking out for a friend and his kid. So Flippy, what's going down? What's the 4-1-1?

Flippy explained to the three of them everything that happened, from the day he left Happy Tree Town to him and the others landing on the roof. Disco Bear told Flippy and the others about how it had started as a normal day but how all of a sudden the soldiers had appeared in armoured trucks and were rounding people up, just like Russell had said.

Disco Bear: Here's the strange part though. I managed to get a close look at one of them and he didn't have any lethal weapons on him at all. It's like they're only interested in capturing us. Now normally this would be a good thing but considering that we'd just come back the next day if they killed us they wouldn't have to worry about it.

Pop: They said something about finding you Flippy. From the sound of it, your in more danger then the rest of us, and I think I understand why now. So what your saying is that your Sergeant turned out to be evil and is trying to make an army of 'flipped-out' soldiers?

Flippy: Well, I think that's what he's trying to do.

Sneaky: Either way, we've got to stop him and save everyone. I might not know anyone here but I won't stand by as innocent people are thrown into jail or whatever they're being thrown into!

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oui, I agree with Sneaky!

Russell: Well, while it's great to have new allies, how are we going to save th' lot o' them?

Sniffles: If I could get to my lab, we might just be able to save everyone in Happy Tree Town. Anyone have any ideas on how to do that?

Flaky was about to say something when the door to the roof was thrown open and several soldiers appeared. Flippy, Flaky, Sneaky, Sniffles, Mouse Ka-Boom, Pop, Disco Bear, and Russell backed up as far as they could on the roof. Flippy, Mouse Ka-Boom, Russell and Disco Bear were the only ones with any kind of weapons and they were out numbered three to one.

Russell: How are we going to get out o' this one?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Honestly, I'm not sure…

Flippy: I'm going to hate myself for this later but, Sniffles, do it!

Sniffles: You sure about this? We've never-

Flippy: Just do it!!

Sniffles: Alright, alright! *yells something incoherent*

Flippy's eye twitched and he immediately turned into Evil who attacked the soldiers. He grabbed one of them and sliced him in half with his bowie knife then tackled another one and sliced him open, tying his intestines around his neck, choking him. Disco Bear shot one of the soldiers with the stun gun and Russell attacked them with his hook hand, using it like a sword. Sneaky and Mouse were doing their best to protect Flaky, Sniffles, Pop, and Cub from any soldiers that got past the others.  
After several minutes only one soldier remained. Evil was about to kill him when Sniffles grabbed his shoulder and said something else incoherent. Oddly enough, Evil let go of the soldier and stood back. Sniffles knelled next to the soldier who was too scared of Evil to run.

Soldier: H-How did you g-get him to stop? *trembling*

Sniffles: A little trick me and Flippy figured out. It only works if I used the activation word first. So tell me, why are you attacking Happy Tree Town?

Soldier: I'm not going to-

Sniffles: With just one word I can get him to attack you again, you know that right?

Soldier: The Sergeant sent us here to capture anyone with a relationship to Flippy, no matter how small. Specifically he wanted the people referred to as the "Happy Tree Friends". They're the ones with the closest relationships to Flippy.

Sniffles: And who, exactly, are these people?

Soldier: Their names are Cuddles, Disco Bear, Flaky, Russell, Giggles, Nutty, Lumpy, Shifty, Lifty, Handy, Petunia, Mime, Pop, Cub, Sniffles, Toothy, and The Mole. I-I don't know anything about them, I was just told to capture them, I-I swear! Please don't kill me!

Sniffles: *thinks for a minute* That's everyone that was at Flippy's good-bye party when he left Happy Tree Town. The Sergeant must've decided to use them for his plan.

Soldier: C-can I go now?

Sniffles: Hm? Oh, sure, whatever. *shrugs*

The soldier ran away so fast that he dropped his stun gun and left a faint dust outline. Flaky and the others were looking at Evil who hadn't moved an inch.

Pop: Hey Sniffles, what did you do to Evil? Not that I'd like him to attack us but… *waves hand in front of Evil's face* It's a little creepy.

Sniffles: Well you see, over the past couple months me and Flippy have been working on a way to stop him from flipping-out. By using certain code words that only the two of us know, I can more or less control Evil. The only codes we have are to activate his flipped-out half, or Evil as he's referred to as when he's like that, to stop him attacking, and to snap him out of it. The second and third ones only work if I use the first one, and the second one will stop working if he's provoked enough, but it's a start.

Russell: Well I'll be the son of an oyster! How'd you do that Sniffles?

Sniffles: Hypnotic suggestion, how else?

Flaky: S-so you can t-turn him back t-to normal, r-right?

Sniffles: Of course. *says something incoherent*

Flippy: *shakes head and turns back to normal* Did we win?

Sniffles: I should also mention that he has no memory of his time under my limited control.

Flippy: *looks around* So, what now?

Pop: Isn't it obvious? We go to Sniffles' lab and save everyone in town. Well, not including the soldiers, but you get the idea!

The group headed towards Sniffles' lab as quickly as they could, taking care of any soldiers they ran into, which considering they were a large group was a lot. On the way they managed to rescue Toothy and Petunia from the soldiers and filled them in on the situation.  
When they got to the lab, Flippy, Sneaky, and Mouse Ka-Boom checked it for soldiers and when they gave the all clear the others entered. Sniffles locked the door behind them. Everyone gave a collective breath of relief and started to relax a little.

Toothy: Thanks for the save, you guys! If you hadn't come along who knows what could've happened to us?

Flaky: Y-your welcome…

Mouse Ka-Boom: So, what do we do now Sniffles? Sniffles? *looks around* Hey, where iz Sniffles?

Sniffles: I'm over by the closet! Where is it? *comes out of the closet holding a box* Okay, here we go!

Sniffles placed an old cardboard box on the table and opened it to reveal some weird looking metal cube.

Petunia: What does it do? *scratches head*

Sniffles: In a nutshell, it's designed to aggravate the particles in the air surrounding Happy Tree Town. Anyone who hasn't been around said particles for longer then a couple days will become temporarily paralyzed until it's turned off or they somehow get out of it's range. This will give us a chance to save everyone from the soldiers.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Um, excusez-moi, but Sneaky and I only just arrived in Happy Tree Town, so I must ask. This device won't hurt, will it?

Sniffles: Don't worry, based on my tests the only thing you'll feel is a numbing sensation all over your body. I'd suggest that you lie down so that you don't hurt yourselves or anything like that.

Sneaky: Well, that's good to know, but how do you guys plan on getting rid of the soldiers afterwards? You can't just leave them there forever and you can't kill them either. Wouldn't they just come back to life in a day or two if you did?

Petunia: He's got a point. So what do we do after we've saved the others? Like he said, we can't leave them there and we can't kill them either.

Sniffles: Hm… I didn't think of that…

Russell: Hey Flippy, didn't the five o' you come in a flying ship?

Flippy: You mean a plane?

Russell: Right, plane. Well, why don't we tie 'em up an' fly 'em back t' where they came from?

Sniffles: You know, that's actually not a bad idea, if we wanted to get the pilot killed! The barrier doesn't extend all the way to the jungle, who ever we sent would most likely be shot down and killed.

Flaky: B-but what about th-that village th-that had a s-similar barrier?

Toothy: Who'd be willing to fly the plane? Besides, what's to stop them from coming back?

Flippy: Nothing. They won't stop until they get what they're after, and that's me. I know the Sergeant, and when he starts something he's determined to finish it, no matter what the cost.

Mouse Ka-Boom: *murmurs* If they really wanted you they could just… *shivers*

Sneaky: You say something Mouse?

Mouse Ka-Boom: O-oh, nothing. Just talking to myself, that's all… *looks down*

Sneaky: 'Mouse's been acting strange ever since we left the base. I've got to find out why.'

The group discussed their plan while Sneaky took Mouse Ka-Boom somewhere quiet to talk to him. Mouse Ka-Boom was a little confused by why Sneaky would want to talk to him in private, but figured that it must be important. Once they were away from the rest of the group, Sneaky let go of Mouse's wrist and turned to face him.

Mouse Ka-Boom: So Sneaky, what iz it that you wanted to talk to me about?

Sneaky: …Ever since we left that base in the jungle, you've been acting a heck of a lot different then I'm used to. Ever since you flipped-out for the first time, you haven't been yourself. Now, I know that it's something you have to get used to but when Flippy flipped-out for the first time, he wasn't like how you are now.

Mouse Ka-Boom: *glares* What are you trying to say? That I should be acting like Flippy iz? That I should be an exactly replica of how he was when he flipped-out for ze first time? *clenches fists*

Sneaky: What? No, that's not what I'm saying at all Mouse! What I'm saying is that I'm worried about you, that something is up with you and that I want to know what. Did you see or hear something at the base that is making you act like this?

Mouse Ka-Boom: *looks down* …All I will say iz that yes, I am not myself. Yes, I did see something, something that caused me to flip-out. If you saw what I saw, then you probably would've too. *holds self and shivers*

Sneaky: What did you see?

Mouse Ka-Boom: I really don't-

Sneaky: *grabs Mouse's shoulders* What did you see?!

Mouse Ka-Boom: Let go of me Sneaky! You'd never believe me if I told you anyway, no one would!

Mouse struggled to get out of Sneaky's tight grip but couldn't get free. Sneaky wasn't planning on letting go until he got his answers, and was prepared to wait as long as he had to. Mouse closed his eyes tightly, trying to shut out the images of what he saw in the base as they came flooding to the front of his mind. He could hear Sneaky yelling at him but he couldn't make out the words.  
When he opened his eyes again they were bright orange and his teeth had sharpened. He grinned and kicked Sneaky off of him, making him fall to the floor. Mouse was on top of him with his pocket knife pressed to Sneaky's neck. The chameleon gasped and stared strait at Mouse, afraid to take his eyes off of him.

Mouse Ka-Boom: You really don't get it, do you? If ze little twerp wanted to tell you, he would've already. But he didn't, so he doesn't. Get it now?

Sneaky: Listen, I don't know how the whole flipped-out thing works but-

Mouse Ka-Boom: Three things. First off, call me Psycho. Second, it's a heck of a lot more simple then you'd imagine. Finally, your right about not getting it. *laughs* Man, if you only knew what I do! You'd never be able to look at the little pip-squeak the same way again.

Sneaky: Wh-what are you talking about? What could you possible know about him that I don't?

Psycho: I'll let you find out on your own. *grins*

Psycho was about to slice Sneaky's neck open when something hit him hard on the back of his head and knocked him out. Sneaky roughly pushed Mouse Ka-Boom/Psycho off of him and looked up to see Flippy standing there with a two by four.

Flippy: You alright Sneaky?

Sneaky: Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. *stands up* So, what's the plan?

Sniffles filed Sneaky in on the plan. While Pop, Disco Bear, and Russell distracted the soldiers, Flippy and Sniffles would take the plane and fly to the center of town. From there Sniffles would activate his machine and then they would get as many of the soldiers as they could and take them to the jungle. They would keep doing that until all of the soldiers were out of Happy Tree Town.

Sniffles: I've programmed the machine to also wipe their memory of how to get to Happy Tree Town. It should also be able to mess with any electronic data regarding Happy Tree Town. That's where the dangerous part comes in.

Flippy: In order to make sure the Sergeant won't ever find us again, I have to go into the base and use the machine. Once I'm inside I have to get to the center of the base so that Sniffles' machine will be able to hit everyone and everything there. Other then the obvious danger of me being killed or them taking the machine, there might be hidden dangers that we don't know about.

Petunia: So what your saying is that you might not be coming back…

Flippy: Basically, yeah.

Toothy: Y-you don't have to do this Flippy! Someone else can-

Flippy: I'm the only one who knows the base's layout that won't be affected by the machine. I've got the best chance of coming back alive, and I won't have the rest of you die at the Sergeant's hands! Don't you guys see that that's what he wants?

Everyone in the room was silent. Although Sniffles had already known the plan, to hear him and Flippy actually say it felt weird to him. The silence was broken when they heard a groan come from the other room. Everyone, except Flippy and Sneaky, went to see what it was and was slightly surprised to see Mouse Ka-Boom sitting there, rubbing the back of his head.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oh, I feels like someone hit me in ze back of my head. *looks up* Did I miss anything important?

Toothy: Sniffles and Flippy just told us the plan. In a nutshell Flippy's probably going to die.

Mouse Ka-Boom: What?!

Petunia: *hits Toothy's shoulder* Flippy is not going to die! I'll admit that this plan sounds pretty dangerous, but he's not going to die!

Toothy and Petunia went back and forth like this for a while, but Mouse barely noticed them. He stood up and walked to where Flippy and Sneaky were and stood there, a worried and guilty look on his face as he recalled how he had almost killed Sneaky. Sneaky noticed the look on his friend's face and walked over to him.

Sneaky: Hey, Mouse, are you alright? You look a little pale…

Mouse Ka-Boom: *looks at Sneaky then looks down* I'm sorry for almost killing you, Sneaky…

Sneaky was a little surprised by his friend's apology. They both knew that it was something Mouse couldn't control, so why was he apologizing? Only then did Sneaky recalled what Psycho had said to him.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Psycho: If you only knew what I do!  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The green chameleon was more then a little curious as to what he could've been referring to, seeing as during the time when neither of them had any memory they shared every secret they had. As much as he wanted to know, he wouldn't be able to ask right then and there.

Sneaky: *pats Mouse Ka-Boom on the head* It's okay, it wasn't your fault. Let's just focus on getting rid of the soldiers, alright? *smiles slightly*

Mouse Ka-Boom looked up at Sneaky who was visibly taller then him and nodded after a minute. He smiled as Sneaky went back to acting like his usual serious self while he and the others continued discussing the plan.  
After a while Flippy, Sniffles, Disco Bear, Pop, and Russell went to where the plane was. Flaky, Toothy, Petunia, Sneaky, Mouse Ka-Boom, and Cub (who was still sleeping) stayed at Sniffles' lab.

Flaky: 'Be careful Flippy. I don't know why, but I feel like your going to need all the luck you can get…' *sighs*

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Flippy, Sniffles, Pop, Disco Bear and Russell had managed to reach the park without much trouble. Before the group proceeded Flippy peeked out from behind one of the tree they were hiding behind. There were several soldiers by the fountain. From where he was hiding he could see that the soldiers had someone surrounded and that they were about to shoot.

Soldier: Alright, this is your last warning! Either come with us peacefully or we'll shoot you!

Nutty: *crosses arms* You'll be unconscious before you can even pull the trigger.

Soldier: Heh, we'll see about-

Nutty sighed, walked up to the soldier and pinched a spot on his neck. The second he did the soldier fell to the ground unconscious, just as he had said he would be. Another soldier tried to attack Nutty from behind but the squirrel boy dodged it, grabbed the soldier's arm, and threw him onto the ground effortlessly. Two tried to attack him at once. Nutty looked at one then the other and then ducked, the two soldiers hitting each other instead of Nutty. He looked at the soldiers who were unconscious by his feet, shrugged and started walking to where Flippy and the others were.

Nutty: Hi Flippy, hi Sniffles, hi DB, hi Russell, hi Pop! What are you guys doing here? *smiles innocently*

Flippy: U-um, hi Nutty. How did you…? *points to soldiers*

Nutty: Hm? *looks where Flippy is pointing* Oh, that? It's no biggie. Oo, what's that you got there Sniffles? Is it that candy making machine I asked you to make? *smiles excitedly*

Sniffles: No, it's… *sighs* I'll explain later.

Pop: Anyway, Nutty you should probably head home for your own safety. I'm sure your parents are worried about you.

Nutty: Well, I'm worried about Lifty! He and Shifty tricked me into hiding when several soldiers were chasing us and now I can't find them anywhere! I'm scarred that something bad might've happened to them… *shivers* You guys wouldn't have happened to see them, have you?

No one in the group had the heart to tell Nutty that they saw the two of them get captured by the soldiers. Luckily for them, Russell came up with something to say to Nutty.

Russell: Yar, don't you be frettin' over 'em. The two o' 'em be fine, don't ye worry yer little head over it, alright? *smiles slightly*

Nutty: …Alright, I'll try not to worry as much, but I'm still not heading home! I'm going to find Lifty and Shifty even if it kills me! I know that that's kinda ironic but you know what I mean!

Nutty stormed off to find Lifty and Shifty. They would've stopped him if they hadn't had their own problems to deal with. Besides, they figured that Nutty could take care of himself, especially after having witnessed him knock out four soldiers without breaking a sweat.  
The group reached the building where the plane was several minutes later but the entrance was being blocked by several soldiers. Sniffles nodded at DB, Pop, and Russell to let them know that this was where they needed to cause a distraction. Disco Bear nodded back and the three of them ran towards where the soldiers were.  
When the three of them got the soldiers attention they ran away, the soldiers following them. Once the soldiers were far enough from the building, Flippy and Sniffles raced inside the building. The power had been cut off so they had to climb all fifty stories to the top. When they got to the top both of them were exhausted.

Flippy: *panting* Remind me why we chose this building to land on?

Sniffles: *panting* I don't remember…

Once the two caught their breath, Sniffles made some last minute adjustments to his machine and they got into the plane. Flippy held the machine while Sniffles flew the plane, him being the only one who could. After a couple minutes it finally started up and took flight. Once they were over the center of town, Sniffles activated the machine.  
Everywhere they looked they saw soldiers collapsing where they stood and their friends freeing themselves and the others. Sniffles smiled proudly at seeing that his machine worked like he had expected it to. He flipped a switch and all of the soldiers fell unconscious.

Sniffles: When they wake up they won't have any memory of the last twenty-four hours. It might cause some problems later on, but that's out of our hands. Anyway, I'll let the others know to gather the soldiers in the middle of town so that we can pick them up. *pulls out a cell phone*

About an hour later everyone was in the middle of town, giving Flippy a quick welcome back before he took the soldiers and flew them to the jungle base. There were a lot more soldiers than either Sniffles or Flippy had expected, however.

Flippy: I won't be able to get all these guys into the plane. Besides, even if I could their combined weight would be too much.

Sniffles: Well, I'm stumped for once. How ARE we going to fit them all in the plane? *scratches head*

Lumpy: Yeah, and what are we going to do with these really large truck thingies they brought? One of these could fit everybody here, I think!

Sniffles: …That's it! We'll use one of the armoured trucks instead! *looks at Lumpy* Lumpy, how did you come up with that?

Lumpy: Come up with what? *stares blankly at Sniffles*

Sniffles rolled his eyes as Flippy and the others put the soldiers into the back of one of the armoured trucks. After a while they got all of them inside and Flippy sat in the driver seat. He was about to drive away when he heard someone call out to him from the crowd of his friends. He looked out the window to see Sneaky racing towards the truck. He stopped beside the truck.

Sneaky: *panting* I ran all the way here from Sniffles' house. Mouse wanted me to give this to you before you left. *hands Flippy something*

Flippy looked at the object in his hand. It was a small bag of cherry-sized explosives, similar to the apple ones Mouse Ka-Boom used to make all the time, only it was more powerful despite it's small size. Sneaky also handed him a detonator switch which would activate them.

Flippy: *smiles slightly* Tell Mouse Ka-Boom I said thanks. Now, I better get going before the Sergeant sends any more of these guys.

Sneaky: Try to be careful, alright?

Flippy nodded and drove away. He looked back once at his friends who were waving good-bye and yelling things like "good luck!" and "be careful!". All these succeeded in doing was making him a little sad. He sighed and continued driving, knowing that the possibility of him not coming back was pretty high.  
The truck was faster then he thought it would be, so he was at the jungle in only a few short hours. When he got there he dropped the soldiers off at the abandoned village, figuring that they'd be able to find their way back, and continued towards the base. When he got there he was surprised to see that there wasn't any guards outside and that it looked almost abandoned. He got out of the truck and just as he was about to close the door he saw the bag of cherry bombs Sneaky had given him. Hesitantly, he grabbed them and ran inside.  
He was pretty much right in it being abandoned. Not including the bugs that had somehow gotten inside (probably though the air ducts, Flippy thought) he was the only one there. At least, it felt that way. Not having to hide, he quickly made his way to the control room. He didn't see anyone which made him feel more then a little nervous.

Flippy: Where is everyone? Why would they all leave? *shakes his head* Doesn't matter, right now I've got to make sure any and all files regarding Happy Tree Town are deleted! *goes over to the computer*

Flippy pressed one of the buttons and the screen came to life. He pulled out the machine that Sniffles had made and was about to activate it when something caught his eye. In the upper right corner of the screen was a file labelled "Operation: Pele". Unable to contain his curiosity, he scrolled over to it and clicked on it. All at once several different files opened up, all of them containing information on his friends from Happy Tree Town.

Flippy: Whoa, it's as though the military's been watching everyone since they were born…

Sergeant: Well, I wouldn't say that long. Oh, feel free to delete that, I only put it there to get your attention.

Flippy turned around and gasped. The Sergeant was standing in the doorway, holding a thick file with the letters 'HTF' printed on it in bold red lettering. A piece of yellowish tape held the papers in the file so that they didn't fall out.

Flippy: *surprised* What are you doing here?!

Sergeant: *smirks* What, you didn't honestly think I'd miss the grand finale, did you? I'm sure your wondering what Operation Pele is, so I might as well explain. You see, Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes, so it seemed fitting to name it after her, considering that this plan will set things a blaze, so to speak. *laughs*

Flippy: What's so funny? *angry*

Sergeant: How after all these years no one, not even you, figured out the truth about that hick-town of yours! Did you honestly think that it was being protected by some sort of 'mystical barrier'? Oh Flippy, you of all people should know better then that!

Flippy: Huh? W-what are you talking about?

Sergeant: *grins* You want to know so badly? Everything you could ever need to know about Happy Tree Town -terrible name if you ask me- is in this folder, so come and get it.

Flippy quickly activated Sniffles' machine so that the computer data would be wiped out and then tried to attack the Sergeant. He threw the file on the ground next to him and grabbed Flippy, pinning him to the wall. Flippy kicked him as hard as he could and sent him flying into the computer. The Sergeant flinched and got back up, pulling a gun out from his pocket. Flippy was about to pick up the file labelled HTF when he heard a click. He looked up and saw the Sergeant pointing a gun towards him.

Sergeant: I should've killed you when I first saw you, I would've saved myself a lot of trouble by doing that! You and that rag-tag team of yours have been nothing but thorns in my side since I first laid my eyes on you!

The Sergeant fired the gun but for some reason an invisible force caused him to jerk his arm so that instead of hitting Flippy the bullet hit the floor next to him.

Sergeant: What the hell?! *angry*

Several popping sounds came from seemingly nowhere, all of which were followed by large puffs of smoke which soon covered the entire room. While the Sergeant was trying to get his barring Flippy grabbed the file and started running back to the entrance.

Flippy: …So Sneaky, Mouse Ka-Boom, exactly when did the two of you sneak into the truck?

Sneaky: *reappears* When you were about to leave Happy Tree Town. I made the two of us blend into the scenery and we snuck in the back.

Mouse Ka-Boom: Oui, you didn't think we'd miss this, did you? Ah, I see you got ze cherry bombs I made!

Sneaky: Your not mad, are you?

Flippy: Actually, I'm glad you did that! If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'd probably be dead. *smiles*

Mouse Ka-Boom: Just like old times, non? *smiles*

The three of them were running towards the exit when Mouse Ka-Boom suddenly stopped. Flippy and Sneaky took a few more steps before they stopped and looked back at Mouse, who looked like he had just remembered something horrible.

Sneaky: Mouse, are you alright, what's wrong?

Mouse Ka-Boom: There's something I have to do. I'll catch up with you when I can!

Mouse grabbed the bag of cherry bombs Sneaky had given Flippy as well as the detonator and ran in the opposite direction. Flippy and Sneaky raced after him, worried that he was going to do something practically suicidal. When they caught up with him, he was standing outside a room they hadn't noticed before, holding his head.

Mouse Ka-Boom: I can't do it… I-I can't do it… *trembling slightly*

Sneaky: *grabs Mouse Ka-Boom's shoulders* Mouse, what the hell has gotten into you?! You can't just run off like that, you could've gotten yourself killed!

Mouse Ka-Boom: S-Sneaky… I-I'm sorry… *looks down sadly* I need you to do me un petit favour.

Sneaky: Huh? *let's go of Mouse Ka-Boom's shoulders*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *hands the cherry bombs to Sneaky* Just put these in that room there. I'd do it myself, but… for some reason, I can not. Please, monsieur Sneaky, this iz something I need to do, but I can not do it myself…

Sneaky: Mouse… I don't know what's in there, but, *throws bag into room* I've never been one to ask questions. Come on, let's get out of here.

Mouse Ka-Boom nodded and the three continued towards the exit. They soon got there and got into the truck. Once they were far enough away, Mouse activated the cherry bombs. They heard an explosion come from the base as they drove away. Mouse also explained that although the smoke bombs won't kill him, they would make the Sergeant get dizzy spells fairly often.

Mouse Ka-Boom: That should at least give us ze advantage, should he ever come after us again.

Sneaky: Hey Mouse, I've got to ask. What was in that room that made you want to blow it up?

Mouse Ka-Boom: *closes eyes* Nothing… It doesn't matter now, they are gone, now. Ze cherry bombs would make sure of that… *looks out the window*

Flippy: They? Who are they? *looks at Mouse Ka-Boom*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *eyes widen for a second* O-oh, did I say 'they'? Silly me, slip of ze tongue. *smiles* Let's not worry about ze past, non? This iz a time for celebration, we don't have to worry about ze Sergeant trying to kill us now!

Flippy: I wouldn't go that far, but we do have a reason to celebrate when we get back. You two are alive! It's practically a miracle, considering everyone thought the two of you were dead for so long! *smiles*

-One month later-

Cuddles: *smiling* Hey Mouse Ka-Boom, what's up?

Mouse Ka-Boom: Not much, you?

Cuddles: Same, I just wanted to say thanks for making me those water bombs, you should've seen Giggles' face. It was totally worth her killing me! *laughs*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *smiles* Any time, monsieur Cuddles! Although, if you are trying to win her heart, maybe water bombs aren't ze best idea, non?

Cuddles: *shrugs* All I know is that it was funny to watch! Catch you later! *runs off*

Mouse Ka-Boom and Sneaky had immediately fit in with everyone else, and it was a common sight to see them hanging around town. Even though Mouse Ka-Boom flipped-out sometimes, no body mind it when he killed them. They liked it in Happy Tree Town, although the barrier was something slightly new to them, only because they weren't used to being dead for more then a day.  
Flippy hadn't even bothered reading the file labelled 'HTF'. He was curious, but he figured that if it had everyone's private details he shouldn't read it. Besides, he was happy enough having his best friends back. Although he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen eventually, life had pretty much returned to normal.  
One night while he couldn't sleep, he sat at his kitchen table and wrote down the questions that he still had. When the list was done, he picked it up and started reading it to himself.

Flippy: Number one: What is operation Pele? Number two: What caused Mouse Ka-Boom to 'flip-out' the first time? Number three: If what the Sergeant said is true, then what is the true reason everyone in Happy Tree Town comes back to life? Number four: Was the Sergeant working with someone, and if so who? *sighs* I've got a lot of questions without answers…

Sneaky: Flippy, what are you doing up at this hour?

Flippy looked up and saw Sneaky sitting at the other end of the table. He and Mouse had been living with Flippy because they didn't have anywhere else to go, not that Flippy minded. He would've asked them to stay with him even if they had.

Flippy: Hey Sneaky, couldn't sleep huh? Neither could I, so I was just trying to figure some things out is all. *sighs*

Sneaky: Flippy, your way too serious most of the time, you know that right? *smirks*

Flippy: *laughs slightly* Well, with everything that's been going on you can't blame a guy right?

Sneaky: *smiles* True, but still, stop worrying about things you can't answer right now and enjoy life. Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you the 'fun loving' one in our group?

Flippy: Got me there, Sneaky! *smiles*

Mouse Ka-Boom: *yawning* Let me guess, you two couldn't sleep either?

Flippy: Hey Mouse, feel free to take a seat.

Mouse Ka-Boom sat next to Sneaky and looked at the list Flippy had made. He shook his head, crumpled it up, and threw it into the garbage. Flippy complained for a little while but before he knew it the three of them were joking around, talking about their days in the war.

Sneaky: *laughing* How'd we even get out of that one alive?

Flippy: *laughing* I don't know, but the look on his face was priceless!

Mouse Ka-Boom: *laughing* I'll say! I don't think I ever saw his face get that red!

While the three of them continued telling stories like that, Flippy couldn't help but think that it was just like old times, just like Mouse had said.

The End


End file.
